character witness

American  

noun

1. a person who testifies as to the moral character and reputation of a litigant in a court of law or other legal proceeding.

---

Etymology

Origin of character witness

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

A defendant representing himself who called his own father as a character witness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

And Stephen A. Smith, who pioneered debate sports TV with Bayless on ESPN’s “First Take” from 2012-16, essentially became a character witness for Bayless while underscoring that the lawsuit should be taken seriously.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2025

It was what an increasing number of people were implying publicly and many had said privately for some time, and the new prime minister was a character witness.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2024

But that time most of his colleagues stood by him - including fellow New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, who was a character witness in his trial.

From Washington Times • Sep. 29, 2023

Serber’s character witness before the Neylan board was Lawrence himself, as good a guarantee of clearance as he could have wished.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik