character
B1Formal and informal
Definition
Meaning
The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual.
A person in a novel, play, or film; a printed or written letter or symbol; a reputation; a distinctive quality.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"Character" can refer to personal qualities (moral fiber), a fictional person, a symbol in writing, or the nature of something. The personal quality sense is often uncountable ("She showed great character"), while the fictional person sense is countable ("a main character").
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minor spelling in derived forms: BrE "characterise", AmE "characterize". Pronunciation of the final ‘r’ is stronger in AmE.
Connotations
Both varieties strongly associate "character" with moral fortitude. In BrE, "a bit of character" can describe an eccentric person or a building with historic charm.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[have] + character (e.g., He has good character)[be] + of + character (e.g., She is of sterling character)[play] + a character (e.g., He played the character of Hamlet)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “In character (acting as expected)”
- “Out of character (acting unexpectedly)”
- “A character assassination (malicious attack on reputation)”
- “A judge of character (someone good at assessing people)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to company ethos or a reference for an employee's reliability (e.g., "We need someone of strong character for this role.")
Academic
Used in literary analysis ("the protagonist's character arc"), psychology ("character traits"), and computing ("a null character").
Everyday
Most common for describing a person's moral qualities ("He's a man of good character") or a person in a story ("My favourite film character").
Technical
In computing: a single letter, number, or symbol. In biology: a heritable characteristic.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The old pub was full of character and charm.
- She studied the formation of each Chinese character.
American English
- The defendant's good character was established by witnesses.
- Type the '@' character to begin the email address.
verb
British English
- The author sought to characterise the era as one of decline.
American English
- The review characterized his performance as groundbreaking.
adjective
British English
- It was a characterful performance that won her the award.
American English
- The neighborhood has a character-filled downtown area.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Harry Potter is a famous character from a book.
- My friend is a funny character.
- The main character in the film saves the city.
- She has a strong character and never gives up.
- His experiences in the army helped to build his character.
- The document was corrupted because a single binary character was altered.
- The novelist was praised for her ability to render complex characters with psychological depth.
- The ethical dilemma served as a crucible for testing the protagonist's fundamental character.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of your own CHARACTER as the unique "cast of letters" that spell out who you are.
Conceptual Metaphor
CHARACTER IS A WRITTEN MARK/SYMBOL (etymological), CHARACTER IS A FABRIC ("woven into his character"), CHARACTER IS A STRUCTURE ("strength of character").
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating "характер" for a person's job role (use "person", "individual"). "Character" in English does not mean "profession".
- The Russian "герой" is better translated as "hero" or "protagonist", not just "character".
Common Mistakes
- Using "character" as a countable noun for personal qualities (INCORRECT: *"He has a good character." CORRECT: "He has good character.")
- Confusing "character" (symbol) with "letter" (specifically alphabetic). All letters are characters, but not all characters are letters (e.g., @, 5).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'character' used to refer to a person's moral qualities?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the meaning. For personal moral qualities, it is usually uncountable ('She has character'). For a person in a story or a written symbol, it is countable ('two characters', 'three Chinese characters').
'Personality' refers to the visible, outer traits (e.g., outgoing, shy). 'Character' refers to the inner moral and ethical qualities (e.g., honest, brave). Personality is how you seem; character is who you are.
Yes, but the verb form is 'characterize' (AmE) / 'characterise' (BrE). It means 'to describe the distinctive nature of' or 'to be typical of'. Example: 'The period is often characterized by rapid change.'
It's an idiom meaning 'acting in a way expected for that person or role'. If an actor stays 'in character', they continue to act as the fictional person even off-stage. It can also mean typical for someone's personality.
Collections
Part of a collection
Personality Traits
B1 · 36 words · Describing character and personal qualities.