delineated

adjective

de·​lin·​eat·​ed di-ˈli-nē-ˌā-təd How to pronounce delineated (audio)
dē-
1
a
: having or forming clear edges or boundaries
Deserts are wildly heterogeneous, composed of numerous, disparate, sharply delineated microenvironments.Bil Gilbert
These tumors tend to be invasive and extend beyond delineated margins.Dennis P. O'Brien and Joan R. Coates
b
: marked with drawn or painted lines
delineated bike lanes
the delineated areas of the map
2
: described or portrayed with accuracy or in detail
… the military, with its clearly delineated roles, ranks, chains of command, and reservations of authority.Eric J. McNulty

Examples of delineated in a Sentence

the finely delineated characters of the novel will seem real to the reader
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some sections of the trail are still being completed and not well marked, so plan on some skilled route finding or pick a section that’s better delineated. Megan Michelson, Outside Online, 27 Jan. 2025 Anticipating frigidity, the organizers of the 2025 iteration (Donald Trump’s, reprise) moved the event indoors, to the Capitol Rotunda, whose limited capacity of six hundred people helpfully delineated who was in and who was on the outs. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025 This is commonly known as chain-of-thought (CoT), see my detailed explanation at the link here, consisting of a series of delineated steps of the internal processing by the AI. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 Twenty things are happening at all times, and rather than your typical medical procedural with a carefully delineated A, B and C story for every episode, the patients pass through the series at different paces and with different levels of urgency. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025 City budget officials have provided far less than was asked for — in response to several carefully delineated questions — and none of it has proved very useful, Beale told me. David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 6 Dec. 2024 Trump plans on using that delineated power to enact sweeping tariffs, with or without congressional approval. Avery Lotz, Axios, 28 Sep. 2024 In practice, that can include changes such as delineated bike lanes, curb extensions and crosswalks. Nadia Scharf, The Indianapolis Star, 10 June 2024 Their values are expressed on their delineated part of the property. Hazlitt, 29 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of delineated was in 1641

Dictionary Entries Near delineated

Cite this Entry

“Delineated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delineated. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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