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
List 3
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Psychology
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List 2
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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:
James Cleverly said the author and politician had been "a huge personality and fantastic storyteller", and that he had been very supportive when his wife Suzie was recovering from cancer.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Mostly the Murray study consisted of interviews and the filling out of pencil-and-paper personality tests.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
“There’s a sense of him being seen as a personality, especially in America,” Morrissey says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
It was during that short year at Baidu that his public personality came into focus.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
A coffee bar is set off to the side, below a rustic-looking sign that says: Caffeine maintains my sunny personality.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Glover talked about being inspired by Nigella Lawson, one of the early food-media personalities to make femininity itself a visible part of her public identity.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
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
Bardot is seen today as one of the most important female personalities of the late 20th century.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Aerial reporters possess a peculiar intimacy with listeners, their voices and visuals filling cars and houses with their personalities as well as useful, even startling, real-time information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Their different treads, as if even as spirits they retained their personalities, Patria’s sure and measured step, Minerva’s quicksilver impatience, Mate’s playful little skip.
From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez
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.
