character sketch

noun

Literature.

1. a short essay describing a person; literary profile.

character sketch

noun

1. a brief description or portrayal of a person's character, qualities, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of character sketch¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

I wrote that one, and within a year, every character sketch all started with jingles and montage.

Read more on Salon

A character sketch inspired by a meeting with a Spanish Civil War veteran, “He Went to Paris” is an early example of Buffett marrying vivid imagery with economical storytelling.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Like his earlier “Jackie,” a character sketch of Jacqueline Kennedy told only through the lens of the days after her husband’s assassination, “Spencer” confines its time frame to a single holiday weekend near the end of Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, and its action to a remote mansion inhabited by both the royalty of the present and the ghosts of the past.

Read more on New York Times

“Aloners” is part character sketch and part cautionary tale, with a fairly predictable point to make about people needing people — even when our neighbors, co-workers, customers and parents are annoyingly demanding.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But this film is more of a finely detailed character sketch, about a cocky kid who becomes a hero almost by accident.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• analysis 
• biography 
• chart 
• review 
• sketch 
• study 
• survey