Describe
Describe verb - To give a representation or account of in words.
Usage example: he tried to describe the dream he had last night as accurately as he could
Illustrate is a synonym for describe in explain topic. In some cases you can use "Illustrate" instead a verb "Describe", when it comes to topics like relate, writing.
Illustrate
Illustrate verb - To show or make clear by using examples.
Describe is a synonym for illustrate in explain topic. You can use "Describe" instead a verb "Illustrate".
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
| character | describe character | illustrate character |
| power | describe power | illustrate power |
| state | describe state | illustrate state |
| idea | describe idea | illustrate idea |
| Other words: relationship, problem, nature, effect, situation, time, phenomenon, way, characters, personality, story, effects, actions, plans, feelings, events, concepts. | ||
Both words in one sentence
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The players participate in creating a chain of drawings and captions, with each participant only seeing the previous player's phrase or picture to illustrate or describe.
Source: Website / Drawception - Or they may describe the important elements of a story in ways that you wouldn't normally think of, using bizarre metaphors or describing things unconventionally in their attempt to make a detail illustrate something of importance.
Source: Left Field Description -
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Ash does describe the pair as "sort of Bonnie and Clyde," but in this case it's coming with some other descriptors, meant to illustrate that Jessie and James are incompetent at best, rather than any remark on their actual relationship.
Source: Outlaw Couple
Cite this Source
Illustrate and Describe. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/describe/illustrate
Describe & Illustrate. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/describe/illustrate>.
Illustrate or Describe. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/describe/illustrate.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "describe" and "illustrate" have occurred on timeline