char ‧ ac ‧ ter ‧ ize W3 BrE AmE ( also characterise British English ) /ˈkærəktəraɪz, ˈkærɪktəraɪz/ verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ character , ↑ characteristic , ↑ characterization ; adjective : ↑ characteristic ≠ ↑ uncharacteristic , ↑ characterless ; verb : ↑ characterize ; adverb : ↑ characteristically ≠ ↑ uncharacteristically ]
1 . to describe the qualities of someone or something in a particular way SYN portray
characterize somebody as (being) something
The group was characterized as being well-educated and liberal.
2 . to be typical of a person, place, or thing:
Bright colours characterize his paintings.