out of character
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s his money, but I believe he may be depleting his retirement account, which is very out of character for him.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026
The quality of the United move that led to the winner 19 minutes from time was out of character with an otherwise uninspired 90 minutes.
From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026
Her family and friends said her disappearance was completely out of character; she wasn't the kind of person who would abandon her much-loved kids and leave home.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
Mr. Powell radiates such manly American likability that it’s bizarrely out of character for him to play this ruthless schemer, even as an impish chancer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Now and then I fell out of character.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
