Character

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: char=ac=ter

CIDE DICTIONARY

Character, n. [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractère.].

•  A distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol.  [1913 Webster]

  "It were much to be wished that there were throughout the world but one sort of character for each letter to express it to the eye."  [1913 Webster]
•  Style of writing or printing; handwriting; the peculiar form of letters used by a particular person or people; as, an inscription in the Runic character.  [1913 Webster]

  "You know the character to be your brother's?"  [1913 Webster]
•  The peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp impressed by nature, education, or habit; that which a person or thing really is; nature; disposition.  [1913 Webster]

  "The character or that dominion."  [1913 Webster]

  "Know well each Ancient's proper character;
  His fable, subject, scope in every page;
  Religion, Country, genius of his Age."  [1913 Webster]

  "A man of . . . thoroughly subservient character."  [1913 Webster]
•  Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; as, he has a great deal of character.  [1913 Webster]
•  Moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from suspicion.  [1913 Webster]
•  Quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty; as, in the miserable character of a slave; in his character as a magistrate; her character as a daughter.  [1913 Webster]
•  The estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation; as, a man's character for truth and veracity; to give one a bad character.  [1913 Webster]

  "This subterraneous passage is much mended since Seneca gave so bad a character of it."  [1913 Webster]
•  A written statement as to behavior, competency, etc., given to a servant.  [1913 Webster]
•  A unique or extraordinary individuality; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits; a person who illustrates certain phases of character; as, Randolph was a character; Cæsar is a great historical character.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the persons of a drama or novel.  [1913 Webster]

  " “It would be well if character and reputation were used distinctively. In truth, character is what a person is; reputation is what he is supposed to be. Character is in himself, reputation is in the minds of others. Character is injured by temptations, and by wrongdoing; reputation by slanders, and libels. Character endures throughout defamation in every form, but perishes when there is a voluntary transgression; reputation may last through numerous transgressions, but be destroyed by a single, and even an unfounded, accusation or aspersion.” Abbott. "  Abbott.  [1913 Webster]

Character, v. t. 

•  To engrave; to inscribe.  [1913 Webster]

  "These trees shall be my books.
  And in their barks my thoughts I 'll character."  [1913 Webster]
•  To distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe; to characterize.  Mitford.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Character, n. & v.
--n.
1 the collective qualities or characteristics, esp. mental and moral, that distinguish a person or thing.
2 a moral strength (has a weak character). b reputation, esp. good reputation.
3 a a person in a novel, play, etc. b a part played by an actor; a role.
4 colloq. a person, esp. an eccentric or outstanding individual (he's a real character).
5 a a printed or written letter, symbol, or distinctive mark (Chinese characters). b Computing any of a group of symbols representing a letter etc.
6 a written description of a person's qualities; a testimonial.
7 a characteristic (esp. of a biological species).
--v.tr. archaic inscribe; describe.

Idiom

character actor an actor who specializes in playing eccentric or unusual persons. character assassination a malicious attempt to harm or destroy a person's good reputation. in (or out of) character consistent (or inconsistent) with a person's character.

Derivative

characterful adj. characterfully adv. characterless adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF caractere f. L character f. Gk kharakter stamp, impress

THESAURUS

Character

Adamite, Altmann theory, DNA, De Vries theory, Galtonian theory, Mendelianism, Mendelism, RNA, Roscius, VIP, Verworn theory, Weismann theory, Weismannism, Wiesner theory, abnormal, accent, accent mark, acclaim, actor, actress, advocacy, advocating, advocation, affection, alien, allele, allelomorph, alphabet, alphabetic character, alphabetize, animus, antagonist, antihero, aptitude, arbitrary, aroma, arrowhead, assured probity, attribute, atypical, autolithograph, bad guy, badge, banner, bar, barnstormer, bastard, bat, be a printmaker, being, bent, bias, big shot, big-timer, bigwig, binary digit, bird, birth, birthmark, bit, bit part, blamelessness, blood, body, body-build, brand, breed, bring to life, bugger, cachet, cameo, cancel, capacity, capitalize, card, carve, case, cast, cat, catalog, cataloging, catch a likeness, celebrity, certificate of character, chap, character actor, character man, character reference, character sketch, character woman, characteristic, characteristics, characterization, characterize, chart, chief, child actor, chisel, chromatid, chromatin, chromosome, cipher, clan, cleanness, clothing, color, complexion, composition, condition, configuration, constituents, constitution, courage, cove, crackpot, crank, crasis, crease, creature, credential, cribble, crosshatch, cue, cuneiform, customer, custos, cut, decency, delineate, delineation, demotic character, denomination, depict, depiction, describe, description, designation, details, determinant, determinative, determiner, device, dharma, diagram, diathesis, differentia, differential, digit, dignitary, direct, diseur, diseuse, disposition, distinction, distinctive feature, dot, dramatizer, draw, duck, duty, earmark, earthling, eccentric, eccentricity, eclat, emblem, eminence, enchase, endowment, engrave, erectness, erratic, estimableness, ethos, eugenics, evocation, evoke, expected, express, expression mark, factor, fairness, fame, famousness, fanatic, fat part, feather, feature, feeder, feller, fellow, fermata, fiber, figure, fitting, flake, flavor, foil, footing, form, frame, freak, function, furrow, gene, genesiology, genetic code, genetics, genius, genre, genus, give words to, glory, good character, goodness, grain, grammalogue, graph, grapheme, graphic account, grave, groove, groundling, gust, guy, habit, hallmark, hand, hatch, head, heavy, hereditability, heredity, heritability, heritage, hermit, hero, heroine, hieratic symbol, hieroglyph, hieroglyphic, hieroglyphics, high ideals, high principles, high-mindedness, hiragana, histrio, histrion, hit off, hobo, hold, homo, honesty, honor, honorableness, hue, human, human being, humor, humors, ideogram, ideograph, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, ilk, image, imagery, immaculacy, impress, impression, in character, in keeping, inborn capacity, incise, inclination, index, indicant, indicator, individual, individualism, individuality, ingenue, inheritability, inheritance, initial, inscribe, insignia, integrity, intellect, intelligence, irreproachability, irreproachableness, itemization, jasper, job, joker, justice, justness, juvenile, kana, katakana, key signature, keynote, kidney, kin, kind, kook, kudos, label, lad, lead, lead role, leading lady, leading man, leading woman, leaning, letter, letter of introduction, lexigraphic character, life, ligature, limn, limning, line, lineaments, lines, lithograph, living soul, logogram, logograph, lone wolf, loner, loony, lot, make, make prints, makeup, man, manner, mannerism, map, mark, marking, matinee idol, matrocliny, maverick, measure, mental set, meshuggenah, metronomic mark, mettle, mime, mimer, mimic, mind, mind-set, mold, monogram, monologist, moral excellence, moral strength, morality, mortal, mummer, nabob, name, natural, nature, nobility, nonconformist, normal, nose, notability, notate, notation, note, notoriety, notoriousness, number, numeral, numero, nut, odd fellow, oddball, oddity, odor, office, ogham, one, original, out of character, outline, outsider, paint, pantomime, pantomimist, pariah, part, particularity, particularization, party, patrocliny, patronage, pause, peculiar, peculiarity, person, personage, personality, persuasion, pharmacogenetics, phonetic, phonetic character, phonetic symbol, photograph, phylum, physique, pictogram, pictograph, pictographic character, picture, picturize, piece, place, playactor, player, point, popularity, portrait, portraiture, portray, portrayal, position, predilection, predisposition, preference, presa, principles, print, probity, proclivity, profile, propensity, proper, property, protagonist, protean actor, province, publicity, pureness, purity, quality, queer duck, queer fish, queer specimen, quirk, quiz, race, radical, rank, rara avis, recessive character, reciter, reclame, recluse, recognition, recommend, recommendation, rectitude, reference, register, relation, render, rendering, rendition, renown, replication, report, represent, representation, representative, reputability, reputation, repute, resolution, respectability, righteousness, role, rub, rune, savor, schematize, score, scrape, scratch, screwball, sculpture, seal, segno, set, set forth, shape, shorthand, side, sigil, sign, signal, signature, single, singularity, situation, sketch, slant, slur, smack, solitary, somatotype, somebody, someone, sort, soubrette, soul, specialty, species, specification, spirit, spook, stage performer, stage player, stainlessness, stamp, standing, state, station, status, stipple, stooge, straight man, straight part, strain, strange duck, streak, stripe, stroller, strolling player, stud, style, suchness, suitable, supporting character, supporting role, sure sign, swell, syllabic, symbol, symbolize, symptom, system, taint, take a rubbing, tang, taste, telltale sign, tellurian, temper, temperament, tempo mark, tendency, tenor, terran, testimonial, the bubble reputation, the like of, the likes of, theatrical, thespian, tie, time signature, title role, token, tone, tool, trace, trace out, trace over, trait, tramp, transcribe, transliterate, tribe, trick, trouper, turn, turn of mind, twist, type, typical, uncharacteristic, unexpected, unfitting, unimpeachability, unimpeachableness, uniqueness, unspottedness, untypical, uprightness, upstandingness, utility man, variety, vein, vignette, villain, vinculum, virtue, virtuousness, vivid description, vogue, voucher, walk-on, walking part, warp, way, wedge, weirdo, word letter, word painting, worldling, worthiness, write, writing, written character, zealot, zombie

ROGET THESAURUS

Character

Letter

N letter, character, hieroglyphic, type, capitals, digraph, trigraph, ideogram, ideograph, majuscule, minuscule, majuscule, minuscule, alphabet, ABC, abecedary, christcross-row, consonant, vowel, diphthong, triphthong, mute, liquid, labial, dental, guttural, syllable, monosyllable, dissyllable, polysyllable, affix, suffix, spelling, orthograph, phonography, phonetic spelling, anagrammatism, metagrammatism, cipher, monogram, anagram, doubleacrostic, literal, alphabetical, abecedarian, syllabic, majuscular, minuscular, uncial.

The Drama

N the drama, the stage, the theater, the play, film the film, movies, motion pictures, cinema, cinematography, theatricals, dramaturgy, histrionic art, buskin, sock, cothurnus, Melpomene and Thalia, Thespis, play, drama, stage play, piece, five-act play, tragedy, comedy, opera, vaudeville, comedietta, lever de rideau, interlude, afterpiece, exode, farce, divertissement, extravaganza, burletta, harlequinade, pantomime, burlesque, opera bouffe, ballet, spectacle, masque, drame comedie drame, melodrama, melodrame, comidie larmoyante, sensation drama, tragicomedy, farcical-comedy, monodrame monologue, duologue trilogy, charade, proverbs, mystery, miracle play, musical, musical comedy, western, horse opera, flick, spy film, love story, adventure film, documentary, nature film, pornographic film, smoker, skin flick, X-rated film, act, scene, tableau, induction, introduction, prologue, epilogue, libretto, performance, representation, mise en scene, stagery, jeu de theatre, acting, gesture, impersonation, stage business, gag, buffoonery, light comedy, genteel comedy, low comedy, theater, playhouse, opera house, house, music hall, amphitheater, circus, hippodrome, theater in the round, puppet show, fantoccini, marionettes, Punch and Judy, auditory, auditorium, front of the house, stalls, boxes, pit, gallery, parquet, greenroom, coulisses, flat, drop, drop scene, wing, screen, side scene, transformation scene, curtain, act drop, proscenium, stage, scene, scenery, the boards, trap, mezzanine floor, flies, floats, footlights, offstage, orchestra, theatrical costume, theatrical properties, movie studio, back lot, on location, part, role, character, dramatis personae, repertoire, actor, thespian, player, method actor, stage player, strolling player, stager, performer, mime, mimer, artists, comedian, tragedian, tragedienne, Roscius, star, movie star, star of stage and screen, superstar, idol, sex symbol, supporting actor, supporting cast, ham, hamfatter, masker, pantomimist, clown harlequin, buffo, buffoon, farceur, grimacer, pantaloon, columbine, punchinello, pulcinello, pulcinella, extra, bit- player, walk-on role, cameo appearance, mute, figurante, general utility, super, supernumerary, company, first tragedian, prima donna, protagonist, jeune premier, debutant, debutante, light comedian, genteel comedian, low comedian, walking gentleman, amoroso, heavy father, ingenue, jeune veuve, mummer, guiser, guisard, gysart, masque, mountebank, Jack Pudding, tumbler, posture master, acrobat, contortionist, ballet dancer, ballet girl, chorus singer, coryphee danseuse, property man, costumier, machinist, prompter, call boy, manager, director, stage manager, acting manager, producer, entrepreneur, impresario, backer, investor, angel, dramatic author, dramatic writer, play writer, playwright, dramatist, mimographer, dramatic, theatric, theatrical, scenic, histrionic, comic, tragic, buskined, farcical, tragicomic, melodramatic, operatic, stagy, on the stage, on the boards, on film, before the floats, before an audience, behind the scenes, fere totus mundus exercet histrionem, suit the action to the word, the word to the action, the play's the thing, to wake the soul by tender strokes of art.

Intrinsicality

N intrinsicality, inbeing, inherence, inhesion, subjectiveness, ego, egohood, essence, noumenon, essentialness, essential part, quintessence, incarnation, quiddity, gist, pith, marrow, core, sap, lifeblood, backbone, heart, soul, important part, principle, nature, constitution, character, type, quality, crasis, diathesis, habit, temper, temperament, spirit, humor, grain, disposition, endowment, capacity, capability, moods, declensions, features, aspects, peculiarities, idiosyncrasy, oddity, idiocrasy, diagnostics, derived from within, subjective, intrinsic, intrinsical, fundamental, normal, implanted, inherent, essential, natural, innate, inborn, inbred, ingrained, inwrought, coeval with birth, genetous, haematobious, syngenic, radical, incarnate, thoroughbred, hereditary, inherited, immanent, congenital, congenite, connate, running in the blood, ingenerate, ingenite, indigenous, in the grain, bred in the bone, instinctive, inward, internal, to the manner born, virtual, characteristic, invariable, incurable, incorrigible, ineradicable, fixed, intrinsically, at bottom, in the main, in effect, practically, virtually, substantially, au fond, fairly, character is higher than intellect, come give us a taste of your quality, magnos homines virtute metimur non fortuna, non numero haec judicantur sed pondere, vital spark of heavenly flame.

State

N state, condition, category, estate, lot, ease, trim, mood, pickle, plight, temper, aspect, dilemma, pass, predicament, constitution, habitude, diathesis, frame, fabric, stamp, set, fit, mold, mould, mode, modality, schesis, form, tone, tenor, turn, trim, guise, fashion, light, complexion, style, character, conditional, modal, formal, structural, organic, conditionally, as the matter stands, as things are, such being the case.

Class

N class, division, category, categorema, head, order, section, department, subdepartment, province, domain, kind, sort, genus, species, variety, family, order, kingdom, race, tribe, caste, sept, clan, breed, type, subtype, kit, sect, set, subset, assortment, feather, kidney, suit, range, gender, sex, kin, manner, description, denomination, designation, rubric, character, stamp predicament, indication, particularization, selection, specification, similarity.

Unconformity

N unconformity, nonconformity, unconformity, disconformity, unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly, anomalousness, exception, peculiarity, infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage, teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity, freak, freak of Nature, weirdo, mutant, rouser, snorter, individuality, idiosyncrasy, originality, mannerism, aberration, irregularity, variety, singularity, exemption, salvo, nonconformist, nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish, mongrel, random breed, half-caste, half-blood, half-breed, metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto, tertium quid, hermaphrodite, phoenix, chimera, hydra, sphinx, minotaur, griffin, griffon, centaur, saggittary, kraken, cockatrice, wyvern, roc, dragon, sea serpent, mermaid, merman, merfolk, unicorn, Cyclops, men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders, teratology, fish out of water, neither one thing nor another, neither fish nor fowl, neither fish flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, one in a million, one in a way, one in a thousand, outcast, outlaw, off the beaten track, oasis, uncomformable, exceptional, abnormal, abnormous, anomalous, anomalistic, out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element, irregular, arbitrary, teratogenic, lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton, peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious, out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run, beyond the pale of, out of the pale of, misplaced, funny, unusual, unaccustomed, uncustomary, unwonted, uncommon, rare, curious, odd, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, strange, monstrous, wonderful, unexpected, unaccountable, outre, out of the way, remarkable, noteworthy, queer, quaint, nondescript, none such, sui generis, unfashionable, fantastic, grotesque, bizarre, outlandish, exotic, tombe des nues, preternatural, denaturalized, heterogeneous, heteroclite, amorphous, mongrel, amphibious, epicene, half blood, hybrid, androgynous, androgynal, asymmetric, adelomorphous, bisexual, hermaphrodite, monoclinous, qualified, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, newfangled, novel, non-classical, original, unconventional, unheard of, unfamiliar, undescribed, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled, unconformably, except, unless, save barring, beside, without, save and except, let alone, however, yet, but, once in a blue moon, once in a million years, Int, what on earth!, what in the world!, What the devil!, Holy cow!, Can you top that?, Sacre bleu, never was seen the like, never was heard the like, never was known the like, I could hardly believe it, I saw it, but I didn't believe it.

Affections

N affections, affect, character, qualities, disposition, nature, spirit, tone, temper, temperament, diathesis, idiosyncrasy, cast of mind, cast of soul, habit of mind, habit of soul, frame of mind, frame of soul, predilection, turn, natural turn of mind, bent, bias, predisposition, proneness, proclivity, propensity, propenseness, propension, propendency, vein, humor, mood, grain, mettle, sympathy, soul, heart, breast, bosom, inner man, heart's core, heart's strings, heart's blood, heart of hearts, bottom of one's heart, penetralia mentis, secret and inmost recesses of the heart, cockles of one's heart, inmost heart, inmost soul, backbone, passion, pervading spirit, ruling passion, master passion, furore, fullness of the heart, heyday of the blood, flesh and blood, flow of soul, energy, fervor, fire, force, affected, characterized, formed, molded, cast, attempered, tempered, framed, predisposed, prone, inclined, having a bias, tinctured with, imbued with, penetrated with, eaten up with, inborn, inbred, ingrained, deep-rooted, ineffaceable, inveterate, pathoscopic, congenital, dyed in the wool, implanted by nature, inherent, in the grain, affective, in one's heart, at heart, heart and soul, affection is a coal that must be cool'd else suffe.