Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb portray

4 senses of portray

Sense 1
portray -- (portray in words; "The book portrays the actor as a selfish person")
       => represent -- (serve as a means of expressing something; "The flower represents a young girl")

Sense 2
portray, depict, limn -- (make a portrait of; "Goya wanted to portray his mistress, the Duchess of Alba")
       => represent, interpret -- (create an image or likeness of; "The painter represented his wife as a young girl")

Sense 3
impersonate, portray -- (assume or act the character of; "She impersonates Madonna"; "The actor portrays an elderly, lonely man")
       => act, play, represent -- (play a role or part; "Gielgud played Hamlet"; "She wants to act Lady Macbeth, but she is too young for the role"; "She played the servant to her husband's master")

Sense 4
portray, present -- (represent abstractly, for example in a painting, drawing, or sculpture; "The father is portrayed as a good-looking man in this painting")
       => represent, interpret -- (create an image or likeness of; "The painter represented his wife as a young girl")