- 1characterize somebody/something to be typical of a person, place, or thing the rolling hills that characterize this part of Virginia
- 2characterize somebody/something [often passive] to give something its typical or most noticeable qualities or features The city is characterized by tall modern buildings of steel and glass.
- 3characterize somebody/something (as something) to describe or show the qualities of someone or something in a particular way activities that are characterized as “male” or “female” work How would you characterize the mood of the 1990s?
characterize
verbNAmE//ˈkærəktəˌraɪz//
(formal)Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they characterize he / she / it characterizes
past simple characterized
-ing form characterizing
Check pronunciation: characterize