Definitions for CHARACTER
ˈkær ɪk tərchar·ac·ter

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.1 / 14 votes

1. fictional character, fictitious character, characternoun

   an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

   "she is the main character in the novel"

2. quality, character, lineamentnoun

   a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something

   "each town has a quality all its own"; "the radical character of our demands"

3. character, fiber, fibrenoun

   the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions

   "education has for its object the formation of character"- Herbert Spencer

4. character, role, theatrical role, part, personanoun

   an actor's portrayal of someone in a play

   "she played the part of Desdemona"

5. character, eccentric, type, casenoun

   a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)

   "a real character"; "a strange character"; "a friendly eccentric"; "the capable type"; "a mental case"

6. characternoun

   good repute

   "he is a man of character"

7. character, reference, character referencenoun

   a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability

   "requests for character references are all too often answered evasively"

8. character, grapheme, graphic symbolnoun

   a written symbol that is used to represent speech

   "the Greek alphabet has 24 characters"

9. characterverb

   (genetics) an attribute (structural or functional) that is determined by a gene or group of genes

10. characterverb

    engrave or inscribe characters on

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 6 votes

1. characternoun

   A being involved in the action of a story.

2. characternoun

   A written or printed symbol, or letter

3. characternoun

   A distinguishing feature; characteristic; A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group.

   A study of the suspect's character and his cast iron alibi ruled him out.

4. characternoun

   A moral strength.

   "You may not like to eat liver," said Calvin's father, "but it builds character."

5. characternoun

   A person with many notable or eccentric features.

6. characternoun

   A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.

7. characternoun

   One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.

8. characternoun

   A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.

   We saw a shady character slinking out of the office with some papers.

9. characterverb

   To write (using characters); To describe

10. Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. CHARACTERnoun

   Etymology: character, Lat. χαϱαϰτὴϱ.

   1. A mark; a stamp; a representation.

   In outward also her resembling less
   His image, who made both; and less expressing
   The character of that dominion giv’n
   O’er other creatures. Paradise Lost, b. viii. l. 542.

   2. A letter used in writing or printing.

   But his neat cookery! ————
   He cut our roots in characters. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

   The purpose is perspicuous even as substance,
   Whose grossness little characters sum up. William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida.

   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; and that exactly proportioned to the natural alphabet formed in the mouth. William Holder, Elements of Speech.

   3. The hand or manner of writing.

   I found the letter thrown in at the casement of my closet. ——
   You know the character to be your brother’s. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   4. A representation of any man as to his personal qualities.

   Each drew fair characters, yet none
   Of these they feign’d, excels their own. John Denham.

   5. An account of any thing as good or bad.

   This subterraneous passage is much mended, since Seneca gave so bad a character of it. Joseph Addison, on Italy.

   6. The person with his assemblage of qualities.

   In a tragedy, or epick poem, the hero of the piece must be advanced foremost to the view of the reader or spectator; he must outshine the rest of all the characters; he must appear the prince of them, like the sun in the Copernican system, encompassed with the less noble planets. John Dryden, Dufresnoy.

   has excelled all the heroick poets that ever wrote, in the multitude and variety of his characters; every god that is admitted into his poem, acts a part which would have been suitable to no other deity. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 273.

   7. Personal qualities; particular constitution of the mind.

   Nothing so true as what you once let fall,
   Most women have no characters at all. Alexander Pope.

   8. Adventitious qualities impressed by a post or office.

   The chief honour of the magistrate consists in maintaining the dignity of his character by suitable actions. Francis Atterbury.

2. To Characterverb

   To inscribe; to engrave.

   Etymology: from the noun.

   These few precepts in thy memory
   See thou character. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

   Shew me one scar character’d on thy skin. William Shakespeare, H. VI.

   O Rosalind! these trees shall be my books,
   And in their barks my thoughts I’ll character. William Shakespeare, As you like it.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. character

   A character can be defined as a fictional or non-fictional entity within a narrative (such as a story, movie, play, or game) that serves as a focal point or participant in the events occurring. Characters can possess traits, qualities, and attributes that shape their behavior, motivations, and relationships with other characters. They often play specific roles, contribute to the plot, and undergo development or change throughout the narrative. Characters can be human, animals, objects, or even symbolic representations.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Characternoun

   a distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol

2. Characternoun

   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

3. Characternoun

   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

4. Characternoun

   strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; as, he has a great deal of character

5. Characternoun

   moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from suspicion

6. Characternoun

   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

7. Characternoun

   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

8. Characternoun

   a written statement as to behavior, competency, etc., given to a servant

9. Characternoun

   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; Caesar is a great historical character

10. Characternoun

    one of the persons of a drama or novel

11. Characterverb

    to engrave; to inscribe

12. Characterverb

    to distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe; to characterize

13. Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

WikidataRate this definition:3.8 / 4 votes

1. Character

   A character is a person in a narrative work of arts. Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr, the English word dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of "a part played by an actor" developed. Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in the theatre or cinema, involves "the illusion of being a human person." In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and ponder themes. Since the end of the 18th century, the phrase "in character" has been used to describe an effective impersonation by an actor. Since the 19th century, the art of creating characters, as practised by actors or writers, has been called characterisation. A character who stands as a representative of a particular class or group of people is known as a type. Types include both stock characters and those that are more fully individualised. The characters in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and August Strindberg's Miss Julie, for example, are representative of specific positions in the social relations of class and gender, such that the conflicts between the characters reveal ideological conflicts.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Character

   kar′ak-tėr, n. a letter, sign, figure, stamp, or distinctive mark: a mark of any kind, a symbol in writing, &c.: writing generally, handwriting: a secret cipher: any essential feature or peculiarity: nature: (obs.) personal appearance: the aggregate of peculiar qualities which constitutes personal or national individuality: moral qualities especially, the reputation of possessing such: a formal statement of the qualities of a person who has been in one's service or employment: official position, rank, or status, or a person who has filled such: a person noted for eccentricity: a personality as created in a play or novel (Shak. Char′act).—v.t. to engrave, imprint, write: to represent, delineate, or describe.—n. Characterisā′tion.—v.t. Char′acterise, to describe by peculiar qualities: to distinguish or designate.—ns. Char′acterism; Characteris′tic, that which marks or constitutes the character.—adjs. Characteris′tic, -al, marking or constituting the peculiar nature.—adv. Characteris′tically.—adj. Char′acterless, without character or distinctive qualities.—ns. Char′acterlessness; Char′actery, writing: impression: that which is charactered.—In character, in harmony with the part assumed, appropriate, as a Character actor, one who tries to represent eccentricities. [Fr. caractère—L. character—Gr. charaktēr, from charass-ein, to cut, engrave.]

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Character

   In current usage, approximately equivalent to personality. The sum of the relatively fixed personality traits and habitual modes of response of an individual.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. character

   A type of symbol or letter.

   The character on the screen was part of the keyboard language.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 31, 2020  

2. ---

   character

   The qualities that define a human being.

   She was a focused and fun character.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 12, 2020  

EntomologyRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Character

   a quality of form, color or structure.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. CHARACTER

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Character is ranked #62531 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Character surname appeared 320 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Character.
   
   76.2% or 244 total occurrences were Black.
   22.5% or 72 total occurrences were White.

Matched Categories

1. • Adult
   • Engrave
   • Imaginary Being
   • Portrayal
   • Repute
   • Trait

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'CHARACTER' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1176

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'CHARACTER' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1567

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'CHARACTER' in Nouns Frequency: #353

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce CHARACTER?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say CHARACTER in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of CHARACTER in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of CHARACTER in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of CHARACTER in a Sentence

1. Hillary Clinton:

   The show has prompted important conversation about women's rights and autonomy. In 'The Handmaid's Tale,' women's rights are gradually, slowly stripped away. As one character says, 'We didn't look up from our phones until it was too late,' it's not too late for us, but we have to encourage the millions of women and men who support Planned Parenthood's mission to keep fighting.

2. Hosea Ballou:

   A single bad habit will mar an otherwise faultless character, as an ink-drop soileth the pure white page.

3. President Obama:

   I understand how we are feeling, scripture tells us that in suffering there is strength, and strength brings character, and in character brings perseverance, then hope.

4. Carla Gugino:

   I love a good mystery, it’s not just about ‘let’s reveal these plot elements’… From the very start this was character driven... That was something that was so exciting about doing it.

5. Communications Salleh Said Keruak:

   It is an offence ... to upload any comment, request, suggestion or other communication which is obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=CHARACTER
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Character
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=CHARACTER
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/CHARACTER
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=CHARACTER
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=CHARACTER
8. ^ Entomology
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22748/22748-h/22748-h.htm#:~:text=CHARACTER
9. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html
10. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=CHARACTER