character

[kar-ik-ter]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR character ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.

one such feature or trait; characteristic.

moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.

qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity: It takes character to face up to a bully.

reputation: a stain on one's character.

good repute.

an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.

a person, especially with reference to behavior or personality: a suspicious character.

Informal. an odd, eccentric, or unusual person.

a person represented in a drama, story, etc.

a part or role, as in a play or film.

a symbol as used in a writing system, as a letter of the alphabet.

the symbols of a writing system collectively.

a significant visual mark or symbol.

status or capacity: the character of a justice of the peace.

a written statement from an employer concerning the qualities of a former employee.

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.Compare character sketch.

Genetics. any trait, function, structure, or substance of an organism resulting from the effect of one or more genes as modified by the environment.

Computers.

any symbol, as a number, letter, punctuation mark, etc., that represents data and that, when encoded, is usable by a machine.
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.

a style of writing or printing.

Roman Catholic Theology. the ineffaceable imprint received on the soul through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and ordination.

(formerly) a cipher or cipher message.

adjective

Theater.

(of a part or role) representing a personality type, especially by emphasizing distinctive traits, as language, mannerisms, physical makeup, etc.
(of an actor or actress) acting or specializing in such roles.

verb (used with object) Archaic.

to portray; describe.

to engrave; inscribe.

Idioms

in character,

in harmony with one's personal character or disposition: Such behavior is not in character for him.
in accordance with the role or personality assumed in a performance: an actor in character.

out of character,

out of harmony with one's personal character or disposition: Her remarks were out of character.
away from the role or personality assumed in a performance: The actor stepped out of character.

Origin of character

1275–1325; < Latin < Greek charaktḗr graving tool, its mark, equivalent to charak- (base of charáttein to engrave) + -tēr agent suffix; replacing Middle English caractere < Middle French < Latin, as above

Related formschar·ac·ter·less, adjectiveun·char·ac·tered, adjective

Synonyms for character

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR character ON THESAURUS.COM

5. name, repute. 14. sign.

Synonym study

1. 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. 5. See reputation.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for characters

style, humor, nature, type, kind, cast, aspect, sense, tone, quality, spirit, personality, intelligence, courage, name, figure, role, streak, set, bent

Examples from the Web for characters

Contemporary Examples of characters

She fills her characters up—strong women beating back against a sexist system—with so much heart.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’
Marlow Stern
January 6, 2015
They want Marvin to be as mean and as lonely and as trashy as the characters he portrays.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
Unlike the characters he plays, men who came from nowhere and, as he himself puts it, “go home to nobody.”
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
Among the characters to be portrayed were the people I had written about—the unsung heroes of the Selma campaign.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’
Gary May
January 2, 2015
The point of these exercises is to make centuries-old texts relatable; their characters understandable.
What Would Jane Eyre Sext?
Jennie Yabroff
December 23, 2014

Historical Examples of characters

But thou knowest their characters; and I will not therefore sully my paper with them.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Perhaps it will be answered, Are not the characters then taken from life?
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2
Henry Fielding
They are driven by their lives and characters; I am driven by mine.'
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
Her first estimate of the characters of the two men seemed to be correct.
A Woman Intervenes
Robert Barr
They're all the way round, and clear through, his characters are.
The Mystery of Murray Davenport
Robert Neilson Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for characters

character

noun

the combination of traits and qualities distinguishing the individual nature of a person or thing

one such distinguishing quality; characteristic

moral force; integritya man of character

reputation, esp a good reputation
(as modifier)character assassination

a summary or account of a person's qualities and achievements; testimonialmy last employer gave me a good character

capacity, position, or statushe spoke in the character of a friend rather than a father

a person represented in a play, film, story, etc; role

an outstanding personone of the great characters of the century

informal an odd, eccentric, or unusual personhe's quite a character

an informal word for person a shady character

a symbol used in a writing system, such as a letter of the alphabet

Also called: sort printing any single letter, numeral, punctuation mark, or symbol cast as a type

computing any letter, numeral, etc, which is a unit of information and can be represented uniquely by a binary pattern

a style of writing or printing

genetics any structure, function, attribute, etc, in an organism, which may or may not be determined by a gene or group of genes

a short prose sketch of a distinctive type of person, usually representing a vice or virtue

in character typical of the apparent character of a person or thing

out of character not typical of the apparent character of a person or thing

verb (tr)

to write, print, inscribe, or engrave

rare to portray or represent

Derived Formscharacterful, adjectivecharacterless, adjective

Word Origin for character

C14: from Latin: distinguishing mark, from Greek kharaktēr engraver's tool, from kharassein to engrave, stamp

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for characters

character

mid-14c., carecter, "symbol marked or branded on the body;" mid-15c., "symbol or drawing used in sorcery," from Old French caratere "feature, character" (13c., Modern French caractère), from Latin character, from Greek kharakter "engraved mark," also "symbol or imprint on the soul," also "instrument for marking," from kharassein "to engrave," from kharax "pointed stake," from PIE root *gher- "to scrape, scratch." Meaning extended in ancient times by metaphor to "a defining quality."

You remember Eponina, who kept her husband alive in an underground cavern so devotedly and heroically? The force of character she showed in keeping up his spirits would have been used to hide a lover from her husband if they had been living quietly in Rome. Strong characters need strong nourishment. [Stendhal "de l'Amour," 1822]

Meaning "sum of qualities that define a person" is from 1640s. Sense of "person in a play or novel" is first attested 1660s, in reference to the "defining qualities" he or she is given by the author. Meaning "a person" in the abstract is from 1749; especially "eccentric person" (1773). Colloquial sense of "chap, fellow" is from 1931. The Latin ch- spelling was restored from 1500s. Character actor attested from 1861; character assassination from 1888; character-building (n.) from 1886.

characters in Medicine