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character
[ kar-ik-ter ]
noun
- the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.
- one such feature or trait; characteristic.
- moral or ethical quality:
a man of fine, honorable character.
- qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity:
It takes character to face up to a bully.
- reputation:
a stain on one's character.
- good repute.
- an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.
- a person, especially with reference to behavior or personality:
a suspicious character.
- Informal. an odd, eccentric, or unusual person.
- a person represented in a drama, story, etc.
- a part or role, as in a play or film.
- a symbol as used in a writing system, as a letter of the alphabet.
- the symbols of a writing system collectively.
- a significant visual mark or symbol.
Synonyms: sign
- status or capacity:
the character of a justice of the peace.
- a written statement from an employer concerning the qualities of a former employee.
- 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. Compare character sketch.
- Genetics. any trait, function, structure, or substance of an organism resulting from the effect of one or more genes as modified by the environment.
- Computers.
- any symbol, as a number, letter, punctuation mark, etc., that represents data and that, when encoded, is usable by a machine.
- 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.
- a style of writing or printing.
- Roman Catholic Theology. the ineffaceable imprint received on the soul through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and ordination.
- (formerly) a cipher or cipher message.
adjective
- Theater.
- (of a part or role) representing a personality type, especially by emphasizing distinctive traits, as language, mannerisms, physical makeup, etc.
- (of an actor or actress) acting or specializing in such roles.
verb (used with object)
- to portray; describe.
- to engrave; inscribe.
character
/ ˈkærɪktə /
noun
- the combination of traits and qualities distinguishing the individual nature of a person or thing
- one such distinguishing quality; characteristic
- moral force; integrity
a man of character
- reputation, esp a good reputation
- ( as modifier )
character assassination
- a summary or account of a person's qualities and achievements; testimonial
my last employer gave me a good character
- capacity, position, or status
he spoke in the character of a friend rather than a father
- a person represented in a play, film, story, etc; role
- an outstanding person
one of the great characters of the century
- informal.an odd, eccentric, or unusual person
he's quite a character
- an informal word for person
a shady character
- a symbol used in a writing system, such as a letter of the alphabet
- Also calledsort printing any single letter, numeral, punctuation mark, or symbol cast as a type
- computing any letter, numeral, etc, which is a unit of information and can be represented uniquely by a binary pattern
- a style of writing or printing
- genetics any structure, function, attribute, etc, in an organism, which may or may not be determined by a gene or group of genes
- a short prose sketch of a distinctive type of person, usually representing a vice or virtue
- in charactertypical of the apparent character of a person or thing
- out of characternot typical of the apparent character of a person or thing
verb
- to write, print, inscribe, or engrave
- rare.to portray or represent
character
/ kăr′ək-tər /
- Genetics.A structure, function, or attribute determined by a gene or a group of genes.
- Computer Science.A symbol, such as a letter, number, or punctuation mark, that occupies one byte of memory.
- Computer Science.See more at ASCII
character
- A person in a literary work. For example, Ebenezer Scrooge is a character in A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens .
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Derived Forms
- ˈcharacterful, adjective
- ˈcharacterless, adjective
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Other Words From
- char·ac·ter·less adjective
- un·char·ac·tered adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of character1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of character1
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Idioms and Phrases
- in character,
- in harmony with one's personal character or disposition:
Such behavior is not in character for him.
- in accordance with the role or personality assumed in a performance:
an actor in character.
- out of character,
- out of harmony with one's personal character or disposition:
Her remarks were out of character.
- away from the role or personality assumed in a performance:
The actor stepped out of character.
More idioms and phrases containing character
see in character ; out of character .Discover More
Synonym Study
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Example Sentences
Taraji manages to bring an equal measure of truth to the mother in her character.
I still do find it a tremendously useful device to invent a character and have the character sing the song.
You were basically the guy to do every dictator or crazy character, from Gaddafi and Ahmadinejad to Bin Laden.
Our fans have seen all our sketches, so we wanted to give them something a little deeper about each character.
Forget those silly “games played with the ball”; they are far “too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind.”
I, therefore, deliver it as a maxim, that whoever desires the character of a proud man ought to conceal his vanity.
It is the development of character, the triumph of intellectuality and spirituality I have striven to express.'
She never realized that the reserve of her own character had much, perhaps everything, to do with this.
Messa urges the king to send a new governor, and gives his advice as to the character of him who should be sent.
Some peculiar lines between these contracted brows gave a character of ferocity to this forbidding and sensual face.
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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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