character
Americannoun
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the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.
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one such feature or trait; characteristic.
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moral or ethical quality.
a man of fine, honorable character.
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qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity.
It takes character to face up to a bully.
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reputation.
a stain on one's character.
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good repute.
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an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.
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a person, especially with reference to behavior or personality.
a suspicious character.
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Informal. an odd, eccentric, or unusual person.
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a person represented in a drama, story, etc.
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a part or role, as in a play or film.
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a symbol as used in a writing system, as a letter of the alphabet.
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the symbols of a writing system collectively.
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a significant visual mark or symbol.
- Synonyms:
- sign
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status or capacity.
the character of a justice of the peace.
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a written statement from an employer concerning the qualities of a former employee.
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Literature. (especially in 17th- and 18th-century England) a formal character sketch or descriptive analysis of a particular human virtue or vice as represented in a person or type.
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Genetics. any trait, function, structure, or substance of an organism resulting from the effect of one or more genes as modified by the environment.
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Computers.
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any symbol, as a number, letter, punctuation mark, etc., that represents data and that, when encoded, is usable by a machine.
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one of a set of basic symbols that singly or in a series of two or more represents data and, when encoded, is usable in a computer.
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a style of writing or printing.
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Roman Catholic Theology. the ineffaceable imprint received on the soul through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and ordination.
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(formerly) a cipher or cipher message.
adjective
verb (used with object)
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to portray; describe.
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to engrave; inscribe.
idioms
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out of character,
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out of harmony with one's personal character or disposition.
Her remarks were out of character.
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away from the role or personality assumed in a performance.
The actor stepped out of character.
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in character,
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in harmony with one's personal character or disposition.
Such behavior is not in character for him.
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in accordance with the role or personality assumed in a performance.
an actor in character.
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noun
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the combination of traits and qualities distinguishing the individual nature of a person or thing
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one such distinguishing quality; characteristic
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moral force; integrity
a man of character
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reputation, esp a good reputation
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( as modifier )
character assassination
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a summary or account of a person's qualities and achievements; testimonial
my last employer gave me a good character
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capacity, position, or status
he spoke in the character of a friend rather than a father
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a person represented in a play, film, story, etc; role
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an outstanding person
one of the great characters of the century
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informal an odd, eccentric, or unusual person
he's quite a character
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an informal word for person
a shady character
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a symbol used in a writing system, such as a letter of the alphabet
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Also called: sort. printing any single letter, numeral, punctuation mark, or symbol cast as a type
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computing any letter, numeral, etc, which is a unit of information and can be represented uniquely by a binary pattern
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a style of writing or printing
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genetics any structure, function, attribute, etc, in an organism, which may or may not be determined by a gene or group of genes
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a short prose sketch of a distinctive type of person, usually representing a vice or virtue
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typical of the apparent character of a person or thing
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not typical of the apparent character of a person or thing
verb
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to write, print, inscribe, or engrave
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rare to portray or represent
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Genetics A structure, function, or attribute determined by a gene or a group of genes.
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Computer Science A symbol, such as a letter, number, or punctuation mark, that occupies one byte of memory.
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Computer Science See more at ASCII
Usage
What does character mean? A character is a person in a story, as in Princess Leia is my favorite Star Wars character.A character is someone who appears in a story, whether the story is fiction or nonfiction. It can also be used to refer to a role in a play or film that an actor plays, as in Tony’s character in the play doesn’t have any lines, but he’s still important to the plot.Character is also the collection of features and traits that make a person’s image and personality, as in Ishir’s character was one of honesty and friendship. If someone seems characterless, they don’t have traits that stand out, although everyone has personality traits.Character can also refer to a person’s moral or ethical quality. If you are a person of good character, you are trustworthy and reliable.Related to that, if you have character, you are honest and courageous or have integrity.Additionally, a character is a specific symbol or image that is used in writing messages. The words you are reading are written in letters, or characters, that make up the Latin alphabet. Punctuation marks and numerals (1, IX) are also characters. They are called symbols as well.Example: I can’t believe that my favorite character died in the show last night.
Related Words
Character, individuality, personality refer to the sum of the characteristics possessed by a person. Character refers especially to moral qualities, ethical standards, principles, and the like: a man of sterling character. Individuality refers to the distinctive qualities that make one recognizable as a person differentiated from others: a woman of strong individuality. Personality refers particularly to the combination of outer and inner characteristics that determine the impression that a person makes upon others: a child of vivid or pleasing personality. See reputation.
Other Word Forms
- characterful adjective
- characterless adjective
- uncharactered adjective
Etymology
Origin of character
First recorded in 1275–1325; from Latin, from Greek charaktḗr “graving tool, mark from an engraving tool,” equivalent to charak- (base of charáttein “to engrave”) + -tēr, agent suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What my character goes through, they’re universal experiences and so people find something of their own experience in it and I think that’s part of the reason why.
From Los Angeles Times
Like his dozens of novels — the latest a collaboration with Reese Witherspoon — it involves a, wait for it, final twist, though as a writer he’d never create characters so unglamorous.
From Los Angeles Times
Writer Simon Mayhew-Archer, who produced the award-winning BBC comedy This Country, set in Gloucestershire, said he drew inspiration for some of the characters from his own "weird little family".
From BBC
Ryan Turner's visa was cancelled on character grounds and he was taken into immigration detention on Tuesday.
From BBC
Teens are increasingly using chatbots both at school and at home, but some have spilled some of their darkest thoughts to virtual characters.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
