French word

caractériser

Pronunciation

IPA/kaʁakteʁize/

Meaning

  • verbcharacterize

Example

Comment peux-tu caractériser ce plat ?

How can you characterize this dish?

Illustration for caractériser (characterize)

More examples

Il est difficile de caractériser cette personne en quelques mots.

It is difficult to characterize this person in a few words.

Core concept

A set of salient traits acts like a profile that makes a person, object, or idea recognizable.

Common phrases

  • caractériser un plat

    characterize a dish

  • caractériser une personne

    characterize a person

  • se caractériser par

    be characterized by

Similar words

décrire: To convey an overall picture of something through its appearance or qualities.
qualifier: To assign a particular quality, assessment, or status to something.
distinguer: To tell similar things apart by recognizing their differences.
identifier: To determine the identity of a person or thing from a name or features.

Definition in French

Mettre en évidence les signes ou qualités qui distinguent une personne, un objet ou une idée.

Word origin

The verb is formed from French caractère, meaning a distinguishing quality or mark, by adding the productive verb-forming suffix -iser.

Usage tips

  • The usual construction is caractériser quelque chose par its defining traits, while se caractériser par introduces what distinguishes a subject itself.

Other meanings

  • describeverb

Opposites

Related words

  • caractérisationcharacterizationnoun
  • caractéristiquecharacteristicadjective
  • caractérisécharacterizedadjective

Word lists with this word