delineates

verb

present tense third-person singular of delineate
1
as in traces
to draw or make apparent the outline of the man's roly-poly shape was softly delineated by the glow of the fire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in describes
to give a representation or account of in words the story does a remarkable job of delineating the emotions that immigrants feel upon their arrival in a strange country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of delineates His fluid camera, observational without being intrusive, expertly delineates the safe space of Layla’s courtyard, shifting registers as things get darker until near the end, when jumbled night reinforces the tense uncertainty. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 17 May 2026 Wood, specifically Canaletto walnut, delineates many of these elements and unifies the apartment from entrance to end. — Ludovica Stevan, Architectural Digest, 22 Mar. 2026 The projection of Earth’s equator delineates the celestial equator, and the poles project onto the north and south celestial poles. — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026 One path forward would be serious discussion of a modern city charter that more clearly delineates executive and legislative roles. — Sara Albrecht, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026 There is an unmarked though unmistakable border that delineates passage into a different ecosystem, a different landscape, a different experience of being within the land. — Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025 There’s a wealth of seating options to take in the views or cozy up by the double-sided fireplace that delineates the living and dining rooms. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 11 Oct. 2025 The 323-foot fly ball came down and hit the pole on the black line that delineates between a ball being out of the park or in play. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025 Specific Solutions The paper delineates specific solutions that collectively could swiftly enhance EU economic growth and international competitiveness. — Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delineates
  1. traces
  2. describes
  3. defines
  4. depicts
  5. outlines
  6. portrays
Verb
  • The White Pass and Yukon Route traces a Gold Rush-era railroad from Skagway into the dramatic Coast Mountains and Canada.
    — Bailey Berg, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2026
  • French shoemaker Méduse traces its first soft plastic beach sandal to 1946.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of traces
Verb
  • The company describes this combination as soft embodied intelligence.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Sivan describes the anecdotes in the song as a collage of, and love letter inspired by, several women in his personal life.
    — Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of describes
Verb
  • The overarching curiosity, though, will be how this defines a key relationship for the club.
    — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • That means an operating model that defines who owns AI outcomes, how decisions get made and how successful use cases move from one corner of the business into the enterprise.
    — Patrick Pugh, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of defines
Verb
  • It’s supposed to be set in a well-trodden, fun neighborhood, but not in one that depicts huge wealth.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The film also depicts Gorbachev as something of a drama queen during the meetings, slamming the table and raising his voice.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of depicts
Verb
  • Those commitments should be included in a framework agreement, signed by all sides, which outlines the core elements of an eventual peace and enables a cessation of hostilities.
    — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Keller city council member comments After the second closed session, McMullin said the council’s resolution outlines all the concerns that Keller residents mentioned.
    — Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of outlines
Verb
  • Branka Katić as Raisa Gorbachev Branka Katić portrays Raisa Gorbachev in The Brink of War.
    — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Ryding is Luca Haas, Jalees is Farah Jalali, and Priyanka portrays Tarek.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of portrays

Browse Nearby Words

delineated
delineates
delineating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delineates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delineates. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on delineates

Nglish: Translation of delineates for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All