acquired character

American  

noun

Genetics.

1. a noninheritable character that results from certain environmental influences.

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Etymology

Origin of acquired character

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The stadium isn’t old enough to feel outdated but is old enough to have acquired character.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2024

Deneuve, the darling of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 32 years ago, has aged gracefully; her face has acquired character, a kind of pinched authority.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was their acquired character that probably led eventually to their disuse.

From Women of England by James, Bartlett Burleigh

To prove that an inherited character is an acquired character is quite as good evidence as to show that an acquired character is inherited.

From Hormones and Heredity by Cunningham, J. T.

But in public life the artificial or the acquired character prevails over the one which nature designed for us; and by that all public men, as well as authors, are usually judged by posterity.

From Calamities and Quarrels of Authors by Disraeli, Isaac