The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Characterization \Char`ac*ter*i*za"tion\, n.
   The act or process of characterizing.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

characterization
    n 1: a graphic or vivid verbal description; "too often the
         narrative was interrupted by long word pictures"; "the
         author gives a depressing picture of life in Poland"; "the
         pamphlet contained brief characterizations of famous
         Vermonters" [syn: word picture, word-painting,
         delineation, depiction, picture, characterization,
         characterisation]
    2: the act of describing distinctive characteristics or
       essential features; "the media's characterization of Al Gore
       as a nerd" [syn: characterization, characterisation]
    3: acting the part of a character on stage; dramatically
       representing the character by speech and action and gesture
       [syn: portrayal, characterization, enactment,
       personation]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

182 Moby Thesaurus words for "characterization":
   acting, action, alphabet, anagnorisis, angle, aping,
   architectonics, architecture, argument, art, atmosphere,
   background, blueprint, buffoonery, business, cameo, catalog,
   cataloging, catastrophe, character, character sketch, charactering,
   chart, choreography, color, complication, continuity, contrivance,
   conventional representation, dance notation, definition,
   delineation, demonstration, denomination, denotation, denouement,
   depiction, depictment, description, design, designation, details,
   development, device, diagram, differentiation, disclosure,
   distinction, drama, drawing, dumb show, embodiment, enacting,
   enactment, episode, evocation, exemplification, expression, fable,
   falling action, figuration, fingering, gag, gimmick,
   graphic account, ham, hammy acting, hieroglyphic, hint, hoke,
   hokum, iconography, identification, ideogram, illustration, image,
   imagery, imaging, imitation, impersonation, impression,
   incarnation, incident, indication, indicativeness, itemization,
   letter, limning, line, local color, logogram, logograph,
   manifestation, map, masquerade, meaning, mimesis, mimicking,
   mimicry, miming, mood, motif, movement, mummery, musical notation,
   mythos, naming, notation, overacting, pantomime, pantomiming,
   particularization, patter, performance, performing, peripeteia,
   personation, personification, photograph, picking out, pictogram,
   picture, picturization, plan, playacting, playing, plot, pointing,
   pointing out, pointing to, portrait, portraiture, portrayal,
   posing, prefigurement, presentment, printing, profile, projection,
   realization, recognition, rendering, rendition, representation,
   rising action, schema, scheme, score, script, secondary plot,
   selection, show, showing, signification, sketch, slant, slapstick,
   specification, stage business, stage directions, stage presence,
   story, structure, stunt, subject, subplot, suggestion, switch,
   syllabary, symbol, symptomaticness, tablature, taking a role,
   thematic development, theme, tone, topic, twist, vignette,
   vivid description, word painting, writing