personality
Americannoun
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personalities
plural
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the visible aspect of one's character as it impresses others.
He has a pleasing personality.
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a person as an embodiment of a collection of qualities.
He is a curious personality.
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Psychology.
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the sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, and social characteristics of an individual.
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the organized pattern of behavioral characteristics of the individual.
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the quality of being a person; existence as a self-conscious human being; personal identity.
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the essential character of a person.
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something apprehended as reflective of or analogous to a distinctive human personality, as the atmosphere of a place or thing.
This house has a warm personality.
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a famous, notable, or prominent person; celebrity.
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application or reference to a particular person or particular persons, often in disparagement or hostility.
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a disparaging or offensive statement referring to a particular person.
The political debate deteriorated into personalities.
noun
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psychol the sum total of all the behavioural and mental characteristics by means of which an individual is recognized as being unique
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the distinctive character of a person that makes him socially attractive
a salesman needs a lot of personality
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a well-known person in a certain field, such as sport or entertainment
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a remarkable person
the old fellow is a real personality
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the quality of being a unique person
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the distinctive atmosphere of a place or situation
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(often plural) a personal remark
Synonym Usage
See character.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of personality
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English personalite, from Middle French, from Late Latin persōnālitās, from Latin persōnāl(is) personal + -itās -ity
Explanation
Your personality is what makes you "you" — the combination of characteristics that make you unique. Despite sharing some of the same genes, your siblings may have different personalities from you. You may be outgoing and upbeat, your sister may be quiet and reserved, and your brother may be a perennial pessimist. A personality can also refer to someone who is well known in a certain field — such as a sports or television personality.
Vocabulary lists containing personality
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Psychology
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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.
See Examples For:
"All I can think about is now my opportunity to pick it up, and maybe add my style, which is looking at personality, a little bit more measured."
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
It’s the mystery of the self—how much of our personality is ephemeral, and what, if anything, is immutable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
My father was a very eclectic and fabulous radio personality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
In July he drew the attention of Musk, whom he has praised as "the most eminent personality in the world."
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
No one had known him all that well but it was a strange feature of his personality that the less one actually knew him, the more one felt one did.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The wine can take on different personalities and expressions, depending on where in Austria it’s grown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
"Birds differ in personalities, neurons vary in shape, and even our social relationships can be asymmetric. These differences might appear random, but they can profoundly affect how the whole system behaves."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
It achieved just that, with some of the world's top female athletes going head-to-head in competitive events while also being allowed the space to express their personalities.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The “Ted Lasso” writers aren’t entirely unaware of the most obvious concerns that come with tasking Ted with wrangling a team of disparate female personalities.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
She could see the similarities between these two lonely children, even more clearly than they could: the same sensitive personalities lurking inside both of them, the same bookish wisdom layered over a deep naïveté.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
