stock character

American  

noun

1. a character in literature, theater, or film of a type quickly recognized and accepted by the reader or viewer and requiring no development by the writer.

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Etymology

Origin of stock character

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Because Neeson is so adept at rendering this stock character, he doesn’t always work very hard at it.

From Washington Post • Apr. 27, 2022

One day, the director of the Perry Street Theater, knowing of his training in commedia dell’arte, asked him to make a mask for the stock character Arlecchino, also called Harlequin.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2021

Jharrel Jerome does what he can to add some shading to Smush, to make this stock character his own.

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2020

Besson’s filmography mirrors the descent of this stock character so precisely, it could well all be his fault.

From The Guardian • Aug. 19, 2019

But that was evidently a convenient quotation of a stock character in controversy, just as πάντα δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο was even more commonly.

From The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels by Burgon, John William

Related Words

• piece