noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
description; expression in words; figurative expression
Used for putting a thing, scene, feeling, or quality into words. Very common in patterns such as 形容する, 形容できない, and 形容しがたい; it can include metaphorical or figurative wording.
その美しさは言葉では形容できない。
That beauty cannot be described in words.
彼はその光景
He described the scene as being like a nightmare.
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb
grammatical modification; qualification
Technical grammatical use for a word or phrase modifying or qualifying a noun or other element. This is the sense behind terms such as 形容詞, but 形容 itself is mainly used in linguistic explanation.
「赤い」は「花」を形容している。
Akai modifies the noun hana.
noun
Older or literary noun use meaning the outward form or appearance of something. In modern everyday Japanese, 姿, 形, or 外見 is usually more natural for this meaning.
古い文章では、形容が「姿」や「かたち」の意味で使われることがある。
In older writing, 形容 is sometimes used to mean 'appearance' or 'form.'