Delineate

adj, verb

adj, verb ·4 syllables ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To sketch out, draw or trace an outline.
  2. 2
    describe in vivid detail wordnet
  3. 3
    To depict, represent with pictures.
  4. 4
    make a mark or lines on a surface wordnet
  5. 5
    To describe or depict with words or gestures.
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    trace the shape of wordnet
  2. 7
    To outline or mark out.
  3. 8
    determine the essential quality of wordnet
  4. 9
    show the form or outline of wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Delineated, sketched out. obsolete

    "That forme which […] is delineate in the planispheare"

  2. 2
    Sketched out, portrayed, described, defined. obsolete

    "ſtill do I ſee in Him delineate his mother's viſage."

Adjective
  1. 1
    represented accurately or precisely wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
definedelimittraceblock inblock outborder

Example

More examples

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."

Etymology

First attested in 1559; borrowed from Latin dēlīneātus, perfect passive participle of dēlīneo (“to sketch out, to delineate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from dē- + līnea (“line”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.