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:
The Bears had plenty of personality that year as well, audaciously recording a rap-styled video called “The Super Bowl Shuffle” that was released during the regular season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
“He wanted to have a ballclub with a certain personality, a team made up of, you know, rough, tough guys, a team that didn’t take any crap from anybody and could dish it out.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Amid soft murmurs about necessary procedures, the state takes on the placid, gentle but utterly unyielding personality of a classic movie villain—not Dracula, Nurse Ratched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Mostly the Murray study consisted of interviews and the filling out of pencil-and-paper personality tests.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
I was slightly giddy with the force of his personality but the extremism of the offer was appealing as well.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Oura rings, Whoop bands and Type A personalities filled the gymnasium-like room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
On a team of 300, "he had one of the strongest personalities of anybody in the group," Diamos says, always ready to argue over research directions.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
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
Sheen, 57, is acclaimed for his ability to convincingly portray a range of different personalities on screen, from Tony Blair to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor via Brian Clough.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
They assigned them names and assembled elaborate profiles of their personalities.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
