described

verb

past tense of describe
1
as in depicted
to give a representation or account of in words he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chronicled
to give an oral or written account of in some detail a biography of Washington that describes the decisive Battle of Yorktown at great length

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3
as in characterized
to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group how would you describe the Inupiat people you encountered in Alaska?

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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 described Other negotiators described him as highly competent with a command of the details. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026 Well, Newcastle United’s new head coach Matthias Jaissle has been described as exactly that by the club’s chief executive David Hopkinson. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026 Welch has described his mishandling of this matter as a systemic failure. — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 Why this specific era The pre-digital pull described above—60% wishing for a time before constant connectivity—points toward an era before the internet, not necessarily this one specifically. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 Tinnitus, often described as ringing in the ears, can cause profound distress. — Alison Karlene Hodgins, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026 The acoustic/electronic modes of production and glitchiness might be described as a gorp-core version of hyperpop. — Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026 Four Paws, the international animal-welfare organization overseeing the transfer, described it as one of the largest relocations of captive big cats in the world. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 Schmidhuber described artificial curiosity as similar to how children learn. — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for described
  1. depicted
  2. chronicled
  3. characterized
  4. portrayed
  5. recounted
  6. defined
  7. illustrated
  8. told
Verb
  • Other, unredacted body camera footage depicted an encounter that lasted less than 90 seconds from when most Oakland officers arrived on scene until the moment when the man was shot.
    — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • To give the statues a human touch, Hörl depicted the composer with his favorite dog, Pimperl.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of depicted
Verb
  • In history books of the future, Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin are likely to be chronicled as two equal but diametrically opposed forces on the world stage.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Orbit also produced the album 13 by Britpop band Blur, a record that chronicled Damon Albarn’s breakup with fellow musician Justine Frischmann (of Suede and Elastica fame).
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of chronicled
Verb
  • All those relationships and the powerplay that characterized that period.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Swatting is just one criminal element associated with 764, which federal authorities have characterized as a network of nihilistic violent extremists.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of characterized
Verb
  • The 1989 movie portrayed this area as quaint and quiet where practicality and a handshake replace braggadocio.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Overnight, Steve Eisman, the investor portrayed in The Big Short, told CNBC that a key risk worth watching is that tech giants' AI revenue is overly dependent on a small number of clients.
    — , CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of portrayed
Verb
  • Others recounted people falling sick, being beaten by the rain, and told to hide whenever Nigerian military helicopters flew over the forest hideouts where the captors held them.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The newspaper also recounted how Kim pressed on through steep mountain terrain and a torrential downpour during a 2018 trip to find a suitable site for a hot-spring resort.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of recounted
Verb
  • Upheaval and volatility have defined the 13-year post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at Old Trafford, with United lurching from one coach and philosophy to the next.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The most successful acquisitions are rarely defined solely by valuation.
    — Amit Jain, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of defined
Verb
  • Inspired by the transient beauty of cherry blossoms, known in Japan as sakura — which is illustrated in their album cover, alongside a dark pegasus — much of the LP also hinges on melodrama.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Showing is More Effective than Telling Every strong personal statement should have a clear takeaway for the admissions reader—but that takeaway should be illustrated through the writing itself, rather than declared outright in the conclusion.
    — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of illustrated
Verb
  • Jeff Niklaus, the founder and CEO of Compliant Technologies, told AP by email that the company was unable to comment.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • As far as Davis was told, once the ordeal was handled, the player simply asked for a different helmet and returned to practice.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of told

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Cite this Entry

“Described.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/described. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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