CHARACTERIZATION

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does characterization mean? 

• CHARACTERIZATION (noun)
  The noun CHARACTERIZATION has 3 senses:

1. a graphic or vivid verbal description

2. the act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features

3. acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically representing the character by speech and action and gesture

  Familiarity information: CHARACTERIZATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHARACTERIZATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A graphic or vivid verbal description

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

characterisation; characterization; delineation; depiction; picture; word-painting; word picture

Context example:

the pamphlet contained brief characterizations of famous Vermonters

Hypernyms ("characterization" is a kind of...):

description; verbal description (a statement that represents something in words)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "characterization"):

epithet (descriptive word or phrase)

portrait; portraiture; portrayal (a word picture of a person's appearance and character)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of describing distinctive characteristics or essential features

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

characterisation; characterization

Context example:

the media's characterization of Al Gore as a nerd

Hypernyms ("characterization" is a kind of...):

description (the act of describing something)

Derivation:

characterize (describe or portray the character or the qualities or peculiarities of)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically representing the character by speech and action and gesture

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

characterization; enactment; personation; portrayal

Hypernyms ("characterization" is a kind of...):

acting; performing; playacting; playing (the performance of a part or role in a drama)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "characterization"):

impression (an impressionistic portrayal of a person)

character; part; persona; role; theatrical role (an actor's portrayal of someone in a play)

 Context examples 

NCI initiate to explore, develop and then apply technology for identification and characterization of genes important in cancer.

(Genetic Annotation Initiative, NCI Thesaurus)

The characterization of a set of cells according to the antigens expressed.

(Immunophenotype, NCI Thesaurus)

A characterization of the dose of an exposure to something.

(Exposure Dose Description, NCI Thesaurus)

Resource also provides consultations regarding problems in chemical synthesis and modification, assistance in the spectroscopic characterization of unknown compounds, access to combinatorial synthesis, and support in drug development efforts.

(Organic and Synthetic Chemistry Shared Resource, NCI Thesaurus)

MESA is unique in its meticulous characterization of air pollution exposures along with repeated CT scans of lungs in study participants.

(Study finds link between long-term exposure to air pollution and emphysema, National Institutes of Health)

Information from provider and not independently verified by NIH: Undergoing characterization.

(ES05, NCI Thesaurus)

The imaging procedure often utilizes a variety of diagnostic tools to provide insight regarding disease states, molecular characterization, and biological processes.

(In Vivo Imaging, NCI Thesaurus)

R&D pertaining to the tools needed to advance nanotechnology research and commercialization, including next-generation instrumentation for characterization, measurement, synthesis, and design of materials, structures, devices, and systems.

(Instrumentation Research, Metrology, and Standards for Nanotechnology, NCI Thesaurus)

The characterization of all of the nucleic acid methylation modifications in a particular cell or in the genome of an organism.

(Methylome, NCI Thesaurus)

Challenge to research community to revolutionize the classification of human tumors, away from classification based on morphology, toward a more clinically predictive and useful classification system based on molecular characterization of tumors.

(Molecular Classification of Tumors, NCI Thesaurus)