Character

Definitions: Character

Character

Noun

1. An imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story); "she is the main character in the novel".

2. 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. The inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions: "education has for its object the formation of character"- Herbert Spencer.

4. An actor's portrayal of someone in a play; "she played the part of Desdemona".

5. A person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities); "a strange character"; "a friendly eccentric"; "the capable type"; "a mental case".

6. Good repute; "he is a man of character".

7. 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 to often answered evasively".

8. A written symbol that is used to represent speech; "the Greek alphabet has 24 characters".

Verb

1. Engrave or inscribe characters on.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "character" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references)

Computing

Aerospace

Electrical Engineering

Health

Language

Literature

Tips from 1870

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Synonyms: Character

Affections

Verb: have affections, possess affections; Noun: be of a character; Noun: be affected; Adjective: breathe.

Noun: 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; (love).

Class

Manner, description, denomination, designation, rubric, character, stamp predicament; indication, particularization, selection, specification.

Continuance in action

Verb: be converted into; become, get, wax; come to, turn to, turn into, evolve into, develop into; turn out, lapse, shift; run into, fall into, pass into, slide into, glide into, grow into, ripen into, open into, resolve itself into, settle into, merge into, emerge as; melt, grow, come round to, mature, mellow; assume the form of, assume the shape of, assume the state of, assume the nature of, assume the character of; illapse; begin a new phase, assume a new phase, undergo a change.

Disagreement

Out of character, out of keeping, out of proportion, out of joint, out of tune, out of place, out of season, out of its element; at odds with, at variance with.

Impurity

Unchaste, light, wanton, licentious, debauched, dissolute; of loose character, of easy virtue; frail, gay, riggish, incontinent, meretricious, rakish, gallant, dissipated; no better than she should be; on the town, on the streets, on the pave, on the loose.

Intrinsicality

Principle, nature, constitution, character, type, quality, crasis, diathesis.

Phrase: " 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 ".

Letter

Noun: letter; character; hieroglyphic; (writing); type; (printing); capitals; digraph, trigraph; ideogram, ideograph; majuscule, minuscule; majuscule, minuscule; alphabet, ABC, abecedary, christcross-row.

Representation

Personate, personify; impersonate; assume a character; pose as; act; play; (drama); mimic; (imitate); hold the mirror up to nature.

State

Tone, tenor, turn; trim, guise, fashion, light, complexion, style, character.

The Drama

Part, role, character, dramatis personae; repertoire.

Unconformity

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.

Writing

Letter; uncial writing, cuneiform character, arrowhead, Ogham, Runes, hieroglyphic; contraction; Brahmi, Devanagari, Nagari; script.

Crosswords: Character

Latin (brand, branding iron).

It was a character flaw, sure, but we all have those. (S.L.C. Punk!; writing credit: James Merendino.)

Cute kid, bad judge of character. (How the Grinch Stole Christmas; writing credit: Jeffrey Price)

Did you identify with the character you are playing? (Notting Hill; writing credit: Richard Curtis. Starring Julia Roberts as Anna Scott and Hugh Grant as William Thacker.)

I can afford a blemish on my character, but not on my clothes. (Laura; writing credit: Vera Caspary; Jay Dratler)

If we had to go through a character debate three years ago, would we have won? (The American President; writing credit: Aaron Sorkin)

To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge it by the standards of his time, not ours. (references; author: Mark Twain)

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost: when health is lost, something is lost: when character is lost, all is lost. (references; author: German Proverb)

The collapse of character begins with compromise. (references; author: unknown)

People with true character show it when nobody else is present. (references; author: unknown)

Reputation is made in a moment: Character is built in a lifetime. (references; author: unknown)

Developing Your Character (1950)

Character Studies (1928)

The Birth of Character (1916)

His Real Character (1915)

The Character Woman (1914)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

References

• The Character Group PLC: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference)

  (more reference examples)

Books

• Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence (reference)

• 'Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!': Adventures of a Curious Character (reference)

• The Writer's Guide to Character Traits: Includes Profiles of Human Behaviors and Personality Types (reference)

• Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Character Education Partnership Membership (reference)

• Energy & Character (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies

• Toaster 2 - Character Generator (reference)

• Character Builder Videos: Patience and Peace (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Character Counts...So Do I! (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• SIMA SCW-2 ColorWriter Plus Video Special Effects Character Generator (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Consumer Goods

• Character Lamp Shade - Classic Pooh Springtime (reference)

• Musical Character Bouncer (reference)

• Plush Character Lamp - My Little Snoopy (reference)

  (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Box core showing high density of manganese nodules Box cores have the advantage of showing character of undisturbed ocean bottom Off of OCEANOGRAPHER during DOMES project DOMES - Deep Ocean Mining Environmental Studies. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

South front and east side. Photograph by David Johnson, March 29, 1981. (Reproduction Number: HABS, KANS,21-HOPE.V,1-B-2) As with the one-room schoolhouse, the single-family farm complexes that dot the American landscape are symbols of our rural heritage. The simple and straightforward structure of this barn is typical of the utilitarian character of agrarian buildings. Credit: Library of Congress.

Martin Burns; a well known London Character / J. Dempsey. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

Pictures of life and character in New York. Credit: National Library of Medicine.

Japanese aircraft carrier Hiryu maneuvering during a high-level bombing attack by USAAF B-17 bombers, shortly after 8AM, 4 June 1942. Note ship's flight deck markings, including Katakana identification character "hi" on her after flight deck. This image is cropped from USAF Photo # 3725 AC. Credit: NAVY.

View of the afterbody, showing rudders and propellers, with other "Kaiten" in the background, at the Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, 7 September 1945. Japanese "kanji" character painted on the fairwater of "Kaiten" number 26 is "yoko", probably a unit marking for Yokosuka naval base. Top fin of the "Kaiten" in the foreground features a painted Japanese navy flag. Credit: NAVY.

Portraits of Hannibal and Cyprian, with vignettes illustrating AFrican character, and wrongs. Credit: Library of Congress.

Study in character of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Credit: Library of Congress.

That not so comic character : no time for comedy. Credit: Library of Congress.

How about getting me out of this one, Donald? : it's no suit for a character like me. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. (reference)

This oath certainly applies, in an especial manner, to their conduct in their official character. (reference)

These proposals, therefore, are of a purely Utopian character. (reference)

The Court shall be competent to hear and determine any dispute of an international character which the parties thereto submit to it. (reference)

All this means that the people of any country have the right, and should have the power by constitutional action, by free unfettered elections, with secret ballot, to choose or change the character or form of government under which they dwell; that freedom of speech and thought should reign; that courts of justice, independent of the executive, unbiased by any party, should administer laws which have received the broad assent of large majorities or are consecrated by time and custom. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. (Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1901)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

In respectability of character, there can be no doubt that they are.

When he appeared at last in his real character, I noticed a remarkable change in his behaviour.

I could not attempt great elaboration of detail, in the working out of character within such limits.

But, in that early severity of the Puritan character, an inference of this kind could not so indubitably be drawn.

(r)His character at bottom was a playful humour , says Gourgaud.

It is probably in his character to ask such a question at such a moment in such a tone and to pronounce the word science as a monosyllable.

We should come home from far, from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day, with new experience and character.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

Many biological and environmental factors shape the character of malaria in a given location. (references)

Because of the progressive character of AD, it often happens that increasing caregiving involvement eventually comes to exert these kinds of consequences. (references)

Once an animal model is developed, researchers will be able to learn more about the basis of the Fragile X mutation and the mechanisms that contribute to its unstable character. (references)

Business

In some cases it takes even longer to register the medical equipment depending on the character and scope of the tests. (references)

Little LEOS will only be suitable for communicating short messages from one computer device to another because the cost per character transmitted is expensive. (references)

Moreover, given the European character of supply chains, the restrictive stance of European supermarkets concerning GMO-food has influenced purchasing patterns in all of Europe. (references)

Civil Liberties

Thailand

In December 1999, the police issued an arrest warrant for the author for defamation of character. (references)

Iraq

New political parties must be based in Baghdad and are prohibited from having any ethnic or religious character. (references)

Belarus

The defamation law makes no distinction between private and public persons in lawsuits for defamation of character. (references)

Economic History

Turkey

Ceramics and other Ottoman-era crafts retain their varied regional character. (references)

Cote D'ivoire

This event has changed the character of the country from both a political and economic perspective. (references)

Belgium

These three groups still dominate Belgian politics, but they have evolved substantially in character. (references)

Human Rights

Uzbekistan

Only one defense witness--a character witness--was allowed. (references)

Pakistan

In effect four adult Muslim men of good character must witness an act for a Hadd punishment to apply. (references)

Pakistan

For example, in May 2000, in a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court upheld the legality of the coup on the grounds of state necessity; however, the court ordered the Musharraf Government to hold national elections no later than 90 days after October 12, 2002. The decision also affirmed the Supreme Court's continued right of judicial review, ruled that it was legal for the Musharraf Government to amend the Constitution as long as the amendments do not change the basic character of the Constitution, and reserved the right to review the military's performance, the continued necessity of the Emergency Proclamation, and the PCO. (references)

Minorities

Cameroon

The large size and centralized character of the public sector has long been perceived widely to favor these groups. (references)

Peru

Afro-Peruvians are often portrayed unflatteringly by the entertainment industry as individuals of questionable character. (references)

Hungary

The law also permits associations, movements, and political parties of an ethnic or national character and mandates the unrestricted use of ethnic languages. (references)

Trade

Norway

If the lessee is foreign and the agreement is of a financial character (financial leasing), a license is required. (references)

Switzerland

Although similar to cantonal banks by virtue of their local character, most regional and savings banks are corporations or cooperative societies. (references)

El Salvador

A. Books, booklets, budgets, emblems, posters and any other articles of a subversive character or doctrines contrary to the established political, economic and social order. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "character": abrasive character ♦ alphabetic character ♦ ascii character ♦ ascii character set ♦ ascii character table ♦ ascii control character ♦ assume a character ♦ backspace character ♦ bad character ♦ be of a character ♦ binary character ♦ carriage return character ♦ cartoon character ♦ central character ♦ character actor ♦ character assassination ♦ character box ♦ character class ♦ character count ♦ character defect ♦ character density ♦ character drawing ♦ character encoding ♦ character encoding scheme ♦ character fill ♦ character graphics ♦ character legibility ♦ character loan ♦ character map ♦ character part ♦ character printer ♦ character recognition ♦ character reference ♦ character repertoire ♦ character set ♦ character set identifier ♦ character signal ♦ character test ♦ character witness ♦ cloud character ♦ coded character set ♦ control character ♦ control character CR ♦ control character ESC ♦ Cyrillic character set ♦ daytime character ♦ decision of character ♦ defect in character ♦ Demotic character ♦ dynamically redefinable character set ♦ enchorial character ♦ end of text character ♦ end of transmission character ♦ enquiry character ♦ epistolographic character ♦ Epistolographic character of writing ♦ escape character ♦ Essential character ♦ extended character set ♦ fictional character ♦ fictitious character ♦ firm in character ♦ flor character ♦ force of character ♦ give smb. a good character ♦ graphic character ♦ Greek character set ♦ Han character ♦ hard character ♦ have a good character ♦ he is a reformed character ♦ Hieratic character ♦ ideographic character ♦ idle character ♦ in character ♦ infamous character ♦ international character ♦ international character set ♦ invisible character ♦ lacking in character ♦ layout character ♦ leading character ♦ ludicrous character ♦ magnetic Ink Character Recognition ♦ main character ♦ materful character ♦ mendelian character ♦ minor character ♦ multinational character ♦ multinational character set ♦ named character reference ♦ national character ♦ null character string ♦ numeric character ♦ of bad character ♦ of different character ♦ of good character ♦ optical character reader ♦ optical Character Recognition ♦ other Teletex character repertoires ♦ out of character. Additional references.

Beginning with "character": character-at-a-time, character-at-a-time printer, character-based, character-building, character-by-character, character-centred, character-comedy, character-drawing, character-enigma, character-forming, character-generation, character-generators, character-inspired, character-is, character-istics, character-level, character-orientated, character-oriented, character-pieces, character-portrayal, character-printing, character-reader, character-reading, character-sized, character-sketch, character-study, character-tested, character-training, character-turns, character-wheel, character-witnesses.

Ending with "character": three-character, two-character.

Afrikaan

teken (mark, sign, signal, token), karakter (nature, personality). (various references)

Albanian

natyrë (complexion, disposition, habit, kind, make, make up, Mold, mould, nature, sort, stock, temper, type). (various references)

Arabic 

‏ميزة (advantage, attribute, characteristic, excellence, feature, merit, particularity, peculiarity, property, quality, speciality, trait), ‏حرف (brim, brink, contort, corrupt, deviate, distort, diverge, edge, falsify, garble, letter, list, margin, misrepresent, particle, slant, tamper, torture, twist, wrest), ‏سمعة (credit, fame, renown, report, reputation, repute, standing), ‏عريكة (disposition), ‏طباعة (engraving, press, print, typography), ‏صيت (renown, reputation), ‏صفة نعت أو لغة (adjective, attribute), ‏صفة حسنة, ‏صفة (capacity, representative, token, wry), ‏خصيصة (characteristic), ‏ألفباء, ‏أسلوب (archaism, diction, flair, genre, language, manner, method, mode, pattern, phraseology, regimen, sort, strain, style, stylization, technique, tone), ‏رمز (allegory, attribute, code, denote, designate, emblem, ensign, figure, icon, image, indication, sign, stand for, symbol, symbolize, telltale, token, type, typify), ‏شخصية (being, figure, individuality, persona, personage, personality, spirit), ‏دور فى مسرح. (various references)

Bulgarian 

стил (fashion, form, genre, manner, mode, order, pattern, pencil, penmanship, style, turn, writing), роля (cue, part, role), референции, репутация (fame, honor, honour, name, note, rating, record, rep, report, reputation, repute, standing), характер (complexion, constitution, disposition, fiber, fibre, grit, grittiness, individuality, kidney, make, make up, mentality, metal, mettle, mould, nature, pattern, spirit, stuff, temper, turn), цифра (cipher, digit, figure, number, numeral), шифър (cipher, code, cryptograph, pressmark), отличителен белег (badge, characteristic, difference, feature, marker, note, trademark, trait), нрав (constitution, disposition, kidney, make, make up, metal, mettle, nature, temper, temperament), естество (kind, nature), екземпляр (copy, exemplar, specimen), буква (letter), почерк (hand, handwriting, pencraft, penmanship, writing), писмен знак, известна личност. (various references)

Catalan

natura (nature). (various references)

Chinese 

性� � (disposition, nature, temperament), 文字 , 字符, 字元 , 德 (ethics, favor, Germany, goodness, kind, kindness, morality, virtue), 字 (letter, symbol, word). (various references)

Czech

charakter (ethos), znak (backstroke, crest, sign, symbol), rys (attribute, feature, lineament, lynx, ream, trait), písmeno (letter). (various references)

Danish

tegn (mark, sign, signal, token), karakter (nature, personality). (various references)

Dutch

karakter (nature, personality), teken (indication, mark, omen, portent, precursor, presage, proof, sign, signal, symptom, token), geaardheid (nature, personality), aard (kind, nature, personality, sort, temporary). (various references)

Esperanto

signo (mark, sign, signal, token), rolanto, naturo (nature), karaktero (nature, personality). (various references)

Faeroese

tekin (mark, sign, signal, token), náttúra (nature), merki (emblem, flag, mark, sign, standard), mark (boundary, frontier, limit, mark, sign). (various references)

Farsi 

منش , مونه , مجسم کردن (Depict, Embody, Epitomize, Figure, Image, Incarnate, Portray), هرنوع حروف نوشتنی وچاپی , نهاد (Inclination, Institution, Quality), نوشتن (Inscribe, Pen, Write), سیرت (Inclination, Moral, Morality), صفات ممتازه , خیم , خط (Fascia, Groove, Hand, Handwriting, Penmanship, Ruck, Stoppage, Streak), رقم (Brand, Digit, Figure, Item, Number, Sort, Symbol, Type), شخصیت های نمایش یاداستان , شخصیت (Identity, Individuality, Personage, Personality, Self). (various references)

Finnish

merkki (indication, make, mark, sign, token). (various references)

French

caractère (characteristic, characteristic trait), signe, personnage. (various references)

Frisian

wêzen (nature, personality), natuer (nature), aard (nature, personality). (various references)

German

zeichen (bookmark, chars, figure, icon, identification, indication, mark, marker, notation, omen, portent, punctuation mark, reference, sign, signal, signs, symbol, token), charakter (mettle, moral courage, nature, personality, temper, temperament), schriftzeichen, eigenschaft (attribute, capacity, characteristic, feature, grace, predicate, property, qualification, qualify, quality, trait). (various references)

Greek 

χαρακτήρας (temper). (various references)

Hawaiian

natyrë (nature). (various references)

Hebrew 

אופי (fiber, nature, strain). (various references)

Hungarian

jellem (personality). (various references)

Icelandic

persónuleiki (nature, personality), æði (nature, personality, quite, very, very much). (various references)

Indonesian

watak (disposition, temper), pekerti (nature), kealaman (quality), kadar (alloy, amalgam, command, degree, gauge, God's will, level, quality), budi (mind, sensibleness, trick), akhlak (moral, morals). (various references)

Italian

carattere (disposition, feature, letter, mettle, nature, temper, temperament, type), natura (being, kind, nature, type, wild, wildlife), indole (nature, temperament), segno (badged, degree, gesture, indication, Mark, nod, note, scar, score, shadow, sign, signal, stigma, suspicion, symbol, symptom, target, tick, token), caratteristica (characteristic, distinction, feature, hallmark, peculiarity, property, trait). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

性� � (personality), キャ�"ネ判 (cabbage, cabin, cabinet size, camel, camisole, capital gain, capital letter, capital loss, capitalism, captain, CAPTAIN System, caption, capture, caramel, caravan, caraway, carburetor, career, career government employee, career woman, carrier, carry, Character and Pattern Telephone Access Information System, character display, character in a manga or anime, light mountain-climbing shoes), �"�性 , 得�" (nature), � � (case, status), 気っ風 (disposition, spirit), 気風 (ethos, traits), 字 (hand-writing, section of village), 文字 (letter), � 質 (genius, qualities), 性� � (nature, perseverance), 人 (adult, human being, man, man of talent, mankind, messenger, other people, people, person, personality, true man, visitor), 人�"� (personal appearance, personality), 人� � (individuality, personality), 人柄 (gentility, personal appearance, personality), 人物 (man, person, personage, personality, talented man), 禀性 (nature), 気質 (disposition, spirit, temperament, trait). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

かたぎ (disposition, hardwood, honest, respectable, spirit, temperament, trait, wooden printing block), じ (be affectionate to, below, child, emperor's seal, hand-writing, hemorrhoids, love, next, order, piles, pity, sequence, times), じ�"ぴ�" (personal appearance, personality), じ�"かく (individuality, personality), じ�"ぶつ (man, person, personage, personality, talented man), もじ (letter), も�"じ (letter), キャラクタ , キャラクター , えたい (nature), かく (angle, beautiful passage of literature, bishop, case, divide, each, every, kernel, nucleus, status, stroke, to break, to chip, to crack, to depict, to describe, to draw, to lack, to paint, to perspire, to scratch, to sketch, to write), そしつ (genius, qualities), せいかく (accurate, authenticity, correct rules, exactness, guest of honor, personality, precise, punctuality, tanning, veracity), に�" (adult, charge, duty, human being, kernel, man, man of talent, mankind, messenger, obligation, other people, people, person, personality, responsibility, true man, visitor), ひと (adult, bandit, condemning, denouncing, human being, man, man of talent, mankind, messenger, other people, people, person, personality, spending, true man, visitor), ひとがら (gentility, personal appearance, personality), ひ�"せい (inborn nature, nature), しょうね (nature), きっぷ (disposition, spirit, ticket), きふう (ethos, one's style of playing shogi or go, traits), きしつ (air chamber, disposition, spirit, temperament, trait), り�"せい (forest management, nature, petition, verticillation). (various references)

Korean 

특성 (characterisation, Characterization). (various references)

Malay

tanda (mark, sign), alam (nature). (various references)