characterise

characterise — verb

1. If a quality or feature is a very typical part of a person, place, or thing, tha

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

If a quality or feature is a very typical part of a person, place, or thing, that quality characterises them — so much so that you use that quality to recognise or describe the person, place, or thing. For example, a dry climate characterises northern Mexico, or a calm manner characterises an experienced teacher.

Example

The dry, dusty climate that characterises northern Mexico makes the landscape very different from the tropical south.

something + characterises + place

A quiet, patient approach characterised Élise's work as a nurse in the busy hospital.

noun phrase + characterises + possessive noun

Common collocations
  • characterised by
  • characterise + region/area/place
  • characterise + period/era
  • characterise + work/approach/style
Synonyms
  • typify

    more informal and slightly less common; suggests an example that perfectly represents a group ('His behaviour typifies the attitude of his generation.')

  • distinguish

    emphasises what makes someone or something different from others ('The tall tower distinguishes the village from miles away.')

  • mark

    suggests a clear, visible feature that sets something apart ('A love of tradition marks this community.')

Grammar Patterns

something + characterise(s) + something

something + be characterised + by + something

Usage Note

Most commonly used in the active pattern [quality + characterise + entity] or the passive [entity + be characterised + by + quality]. The passive is especially frequent in academic and descriptive writing, where the focus is on the entity being described rather than on the quality itself.

Common Mistakes

The desert is characterised with dry conditions.
The desert is characterised by dry conditions.
The correct preposition is 'by', not 'with', to introduce the typical quality.
This region characterises by its hot summers.
This region is characterised by its hot summers.
When describing a region's features, use the passive 'is characterised by', not the active form without an object.

2. To describe someone or something by stating their most important qualities or fe

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To describe someone or something by stating their most important qualities or features — especially when you judge them or fit them into a particular category. For example, a historian might characterise a period as a time of progress, or a critic might characterise a film as a masterpiece of modern cinema.

Example

In her report, Mayumi characterised the new housing policy as creative but impossible to fund.

characterise + noun + as + adjective

The historian Baraka characterised the 1920s as a decade of both great freedom and deep inequality.

characterise + period + as + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • characterise + as
  • characterise + by critics/historians/writers
  • difficult/easy/hard to characterise
  • broadly/loosely characterise
Synonyms
  • describe

    more general; describes any kind of detail, not only the most important qualities ('He described his trip to Japan in detail.')

  • portray

    common in literary and artistic contexts; suggests a visual or creative representation ('The film portrays her as a brave pioneer.')

  • define

    suggests setting clear boundaries or limits around a concept ('The dictionary defines 'courage' as the ability to face danger.')

  • depict

    often used for visual art or written description that creates a vivid picture ('The novel depicts life in Victorian London.')

Grammar Patterns

characterise + noun + as + noun/adjective

it is + adj + to characterise + noun

Usage Note

The most common structure is [verb + object + as + complement]. The complement can be an adjective phrase ('as unfair'), a noun phrase ('as a masterpiece'), or a participial phrase ('as being outdated'). This sense is distinct from sense 1: in sense 2, a person actively describes something; in sense 1, a quality naturally belongs to something.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe a quality or feature that belongs noticeably to someone or something, but they differ in emphasis. 'Characterise' is the broadest and most neutral of the group: it simply names a quality that is typical ('A dry climate characterises the region'). 'Typify' goes further — it suggests that someone or something is the perfect example of a wider group ('His behaviour typifies the attitude of his generation'). 'Distinguish' focuses on what makes something different from others rather than what is merely typical ('The tall tower distinguishes the village from miles around'). 'Mark' is slightly more literary and often implies a visible or tangible sign ('A deep reverence for tradition marks this community'). In academic writing, 'characterise' and 'distinguish' are preferred because they sound more objective; 'typify' and 'mark' carry a stronger rhetorical or stylistic flavour.

characterise ↗typifydistinguish ↗mark

Common collocations

Nouns

  • region characterised by
  • period characterised by
  • approach characterised by
  • style characterised by

Adverbs

  • broadly characterised
  • often characterised
  • typically characterised
  • loosely characterised

Phrases

  • be characterised by
  • characterise something as
  • difficult to characterise
  • easy to characterise

Prepositions

  • characterised by
  • characterise + as

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'characterise' comes from the Greek noun 'kharaktēr' (χαρακτήρ), which originally meant 'a stamping tool' or 'an engraved mark'. This passed into Latin as 'character' (a distinguishing mark), then into French as 'caractériser', and finally into English in the 16th century. The spelling with -ise is the standard British variant; American English prefers -ize. Over time, the meaning broadened from 'to mark with a distinctive sign' to the modern senses of 'to be typical of' and 'to describe the qualities of'.