portrait
/ˈpɔːtreɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpɔːrtrət/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpȯr-trət -ˌtrāt/ (ame, mw) · /ˈpɔː.trət/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpɔːr.trɪt/ (ame, ipa)
portrait — noun
1. an image or carved figure made to show what one person looks like, often with sp
an image or carved figure made to show what one person looks like, often with special attention to the face
A young artist painted a portrait of Mrs. Lin in one afternoon.
a portrait of + person
The museum displayed a stone portrait of the king near the stairs.
portrait can be a carved figure
Evan sat for a school portrait in his new blue sweater.
Grandma keeps a small portrait of Grandpa beside her bed.
The photographer took a formal portrait before the wedding dinner.
文法句型
a portrait of + person
paint or draw a portrait
sit for a portrait
take a portrait
用法筆記
Usually followed by `of` plus the person shown. This sense covers painted, drawn, photographed, and sculpted likenesses; distinguish it from sense 2, where `portrait` means a full description.
常見錯誤
2. a full description that shows clearly what a person, place, or way of life is li
a full description that shows clearly what a person, place, or way of life is like
The film offers a harsh portrait of factory life in the 1980s.
portrait of + life
Her memoir gives a warm portrait of her father mending shoes at the kitchen table.
give a portrait of + quality
The article gives a clear portrait of village politics after the flood.
Taken together, the letters form a portrait of the young poet.
- portrayal
slightly more formal and common in reviews
- description
the broad everyday word
- account
often suggests a report or explanation
- study
can suggest a deeper or more thoughtful treatment
文法句型
a portrait of + life or person
give or offer a portrait of + topic
form a portrait of + someone
用法筆記
Common after verbs such as `give`, `offer`, and `form`, and usually followed by `of`. Distinguish from sense 1, where you can literally look at the person's face or body.
常見錯誤
portrait — adjective
1. set out so that a page is taller than it is wide
set out so that a page is taller than it is wide
Please print the form in portrait mode before the meeting.
print in portrait mode
The poster looked too narrow because the file was set to portrait.
set to portrait
Mina changed the slide from landscape to portrait for the phone screen.
Our class photo fits better on a portrait page than a wide one.
- landscape
used when the page is wider than it is tall
文法句型
portrait mode
portrait page
set to portrait
print in portrait
用法筆記
Used in printing, page settings, and phone displays, often with nouns such as `mode`, `layout`, `page`, or `orientation`. The usual opposite is `landscape`.