51Թ

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View synonyms for

character

[kar-ik-ter]

noun

  1. the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.

  2. one such feature or trait; characteristic.

  3. moral or ethical quality.

    a man of fine, honorable character.

  4. qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity.

    It takes character to face up to a bully.

  5. reputation.

    a stain on one's character.

    Synonyms: ,
  6. good repute.

  7. an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.

  8. a person, especially with reference to behavior or personality.

    a suspicious character.

  9. Informal.an odd, eccentric, or unusual person.

  10. a person represented in a drama, story, etc.

  11. a part or role, as in a play or film.

  12. a symbol as used in a writing system, as a letter of the alphabet.

  13. the symbols of a writing system collectively.

  14. a significant visual mark or symbol.

    Synonyms:
  15. status or capacity.

    the character of a justice of the peace.

  16. a written statement from an employer concerning the qualities of a former employee.

  17. Literature.(especially in 17th- and 18th-century England) a formal character sketch or descriptive analysis of a particular human virtue or vice as represented in a person or type.

  18. Genetics.any trait, function, structure, or substance of an organism resulting from the effect of one or more genes as modified by the environment.

  19. Computers.

    1. any symbol, as a number, letter, punctuation mark, etc., that represents data and that, when encoded, is usable by a machine.

    2. one of a set of basic symbols that singly or in a series of two or more represents data and, when encoded, is usable in a computer.

  20. a style of writing or printing.

  21. Roman Catholic Theology.the ineffaceable imprint received on the soul through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and ordination.

  22. (formerly) a cipher or cipher message.



adjective

  1. Theater.

    1. (of a part or role) representing a personality type, especially by emphasizing distinctive traits, as language, mannerisms, physical makeup, etc.

    2. (of an actor or actress) acting or specializing in such roles.

verb (used with object)

Archaic.
  1. to portray; describe.

  2. to engrave; inscribe.

character

/ ˈæɪə /

noun

  1. the combination of traits and qualities distinguishing the individual nature of a person or thing

  2. one such distinguishing quality; characteristic

  3. moral force; integrity

    a man of character

    1. reputation, esp a good reputation

    2. ( as modifier )

      character assassination

  4. a summary or account of a person's qualities and achievements; testimonial

    my last employer gave me a good character

  5. capacity, position, or status

    he spoke in the character of a friend rather than a father

  6. a person represented in a play, film, story, etc; role

  7. an outstanding person

    one of the great characters of the century

  8. informalan odd, eccentric, or unusual person

    he's quite a character

  9. an informal word for person

    a shady character

  10. a symbol used in a writing system, such as a letter of the alphabet

  11. Also called: sort.printing any single letter, numeral, punctuation mark, or symbol cast as a type

  12. computing any letter, numeral, etc, which is a unit of information and can be represented uniquely by a binary pattern

  13. a style of writing or printing

  14. genetics any structure, function, attribute, etc, in an organism, which may or may not be determined by a gene or group of genes

  15. a short prose sketch of a distinctive type of person, usually representing a vice or virtue

  16. typical of the apparent character of a person or thing

  17. not typical of the apparent character of a person or thing

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to write, print, inscribe, or engrave

  2. rareto portray or represent

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

character

  1. GeneticsA structure, function, or attribute determined by a gene or a group of genes.

  2. Computer ScienceA symbol, such as a letter, number, or punctuation mark, that occupies one byte of memory.

  3. Computer ScienceSee more at ASCII

character

  1. A person in a literary work. For example, Ebenezer Scrooge is a character in A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens.

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Other 51Թ Forms

  • characterless adjective
  • uncharactered adjective
  • ˈ󲹰ٱڳܱ adjective
  • ˈ󲹰ٱ adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of character1

First recorded in 1275–1325; from Latin, from Greek 󲹰ḗr “graving tool, mark from an engraving tool,” equivalent to charak- (base of 󲹰áٳٱ𾱲 “to engrave”) + -ŧ, agent suffix
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of character1

C14: from Latin: distinguishing mark, from Greek 󲹰ŧ engraver's tool, from kharassein to engrave, stamp
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. out of character,

    1. out of harmony with one's personal character or disposition.

      Her remarks were out of character.

    2. away from the role or personality assumed in a performance.

      The actor stepped out of character.

  2. in character,

    1. in harmony with one's personal character or disposition.

      Such behavior is not in character for him.

    2. in accordance with the role or personality assumed in a performance.

      an actor in character.

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Synonym Study

Character, individuality, personality refer to the sum of the characteristics possessed by a person. Character refers especially to moral qualities, ethical standards, principles, and the like: a man of sterling character. Individuality refers to the distinctive qualities that make one recognizable as a person differentiated from others: a woman of strong individuality. Personality refers particularly to the combination of outer and inner characteristics that determine the impression that a person makes upon others: a child of vivid or pleasing personality. See reputation.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

In many ways Bavuma embodies a group of South African players who might lack some of the stardust of previous teams but showed here they have character, depth and unity.

From

Song resists the urge to deliver her characters in neat, palatable packages.

From

We both were in agreement that this should be a character study of this man.

From

Terrible tings goen happen if Jar Jar remains nothing more than the most annoying and unnecessary CGI character ever to please George Lucas.

From

You know, the ones conditioned to believe that honesty, fairness and yes, the rule of law pertain to everyone and that sports should be the crucible of good character that defines us forever?

From

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When To Use

What does character mean?

A character is a person in a story, as in Princess Leia is my favorite Star Wars character.A character is someone who appears in a story, whether the story is fiction or nonfiction. It can also be used to refer to a role in a play or film that an actor plays, as in Tony’s character in the play doesn’t have any lines, but he’s still important to the plot.Character is also the collection of features and traits that make a person’s image and personality, as in Ishir’s character was one of honesty and friendship. If someone seems characterless, they don’t have traits that stand out, although everyone has personality traits.Character can also refer to a person’s moral or ethical quality. If you are a person of good character, you are trustworthy and reliable.Related to that, if you have character, you are honest and courageous or have integrity.Additionally, a character is a specific symbol or image that is used in writing messages. The words you are reading are written in letters, or characters, that make up the Latin alphabet. Punctuation marks and numerals (1, IX) are also characters. They are called symbols as well.Example: I can’t believe that my favorite character died in the show last night.

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.

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