WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•lin•e•a•tion
(di lin′ē ā′shən),USA pronunciation n.
de•lin•e•a•tive
(di lin′ē ā′tiv, -ē ə tiv),USA pronunciation adj.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- the act or process of delineating.
- a chart or diagram; sketch;
rough draft. - a description.
- Late Latin dēlīneātiōn- (stem of dēlīneātiō) a sketch, equivalent. to Latin dēlīneāt(us) (see delineate) + -iōn- -ion
- 1560–70
de•lin•e•ate /dɪˈlɪniˌeɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [ ~ + obj], -at•ed, -at•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to trace the outline of.
- to portray or describe in words:He delineated a few of his proposals for the budget.
de•lin•e•ate
(di lin′ē āt′),USA pronunciation v.t., -at•ed, -at•ing.
de•lin•e•a•ble
(di lin′ē ə bəl),USA pronunciation adj.
- to trace the outline of; sketch or trace in outline;
represent pictorially:He delineated the state of Texas on the map with a red pencil. - to portray in words;
describe or outline with precision:In her speech she delineated the city plan with great care.
- Latin dēlīneātus, equivalent. to dē- de- + līneātus lineate
- 1550–60
'delineation' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
characterization
- character study
- chiaroscuro
- draft
- drawing
- geographer
- lineation
- map
- micrography
- pencil