character disorder: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 / Professional / TechnicalFormal, Clinical, Academic, Historical (in modern clinical contexts, 'personality disorder' is preferred)
Quick answer
What does “character disorder” mean?
A long-term, inflexible pattern of maladaptive behaviour and inner experience that deviates markedly from cultural expectations, causing distress or impairment.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A long-term, inflexible pattern of maladaptive behaviour and inner experience that deviates markedly from cultural expectations, causing distress or impairment.
An outdated term historically used to describe what is now primarily classified under personality disorders, often implying a deeply ingrained, pervasive pattern of functioning.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant regional difference in meaning. The term is equally archaic in both clinical traditions. British English may show slightly more historical retention in older legal or lay texts.
Connotations
Potentially more pejorative and less clinical than 'personality disorder'. May imply wilful misbehaviour or a moral failing.
Frequency
Very low frequency in contemporary use. Primarily found in historical texts, older diagnostic manuals, or in lay usage by non-specialists. 'Personality disorder' is the vastly dominant modern term.
Grammar
How to Use “character disorder” in a Sentence
[Patient] has/ exhibits a character disorder.[Clinician] diagnosed a character disorder in [Patient].The behaviour was attributed to a character disorder.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “character disorder” in a Sentence
noun
British English
- The barrister argued that the defendant's actions stemmed from a severe character disorder rather than a transient psychosis.
- Mid-20th century psychiatry often conflated societal deviance with character disorders.
American English
- The old diagnostic manual listed 'inadequate personality' under character disorders.
- Some forensic psychologists still reference antisocial character disorder in their assessments.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Extremely rare. Might appear in outdated HR manuals describing disruptive employees in stigmatizing terms.
Academic
Found in historical reviews of psychology/psychiatry, psychoanalytic literature, or critiques of diagnostic language.
Everyday
Rare and potentially misleading. A non-specialist might use it to describe someone perceived as chronically dishonest or manipulative.
Technical
Largely obsolete in modern clinical diagnosis (DSM-5, ICD-11). Still used in some psychoanalytic or forensic psychology contexts, but 'personality disorder' is standard.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “character disorder”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “character disorder”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “character disorder”
- Using it as a current, precise clinical term. • Confusing it with 'mood disorder' or 'anxiety disorder'. • Using it interchangeably with 'personality disorder' without awareness of its historical/pejorative baggage. • Spelling: 'caracter disorder' (misspelling).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They refer to similar concepts, but 'character disorder' is a historical, largely outdated term. 'Personality disorder' is the current, preferred clinical term as it is more descriptive and less morally judgmental.
Because it implies the problem is with the person's fundamental moral character ('character') rather than a pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving ('personality'). This was seen as stigmatizing and unscientific.
In historical psychological or psychiatric texts, older legal documents, some psychoanalytic writing, and occasionally in lay language by non-specialists using outdated terminology.
Generally, no. Use 'personality disorder' unless you are specifically discussing historical contexts and need to quote or reference the older terminology. Always clarify the modern equivalent.
A long-term, inflexible pattern of maladaptive behaviour and inner experience that deviates markedly from cultural expectations, causing distress or impairment.
Character disorder is usually formal, clinical, academic, historical (in modern clinical contexts, 'personality disorder' is preferred) in register.
Character disorder: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkærəktə dɪsˌɔːdə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkærɪktər dɪsˌɔːrdər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “He's not mad, he's bad - it's a character disorder. (historical, pejorative lay saying)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'character' as one's moral stamp, and 'disorder' as it being misfired or misprinted. A historical term for a flawed 'moral print' of a person.
Conceptual Metaphor
CHARACTER IS A STRUCTURE (a 'disordered' structure is flawed, unstable, or misshapen). THE MIND IS A MORAL FACULTY (a disorder implies a failure of morality).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary reason 'character disorder' is considered problematic in modern usage?