Definition Definition

character - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'character' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Character [ n.]
- A distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol.
- 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.
- 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.
- Strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; as, he has a great deal of character.
- Moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from suspicion.
- 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.
- 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.
- A written statement as to behavior, competency, etc., given to a servant.
- 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.
- One of the persons of a drama or novel.
2 . Character [ v. t.]
- To engrave; to inscribe.
- To distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe; to characterize.

Meaning of 'character' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . character [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)
Example in sentence:
  • a friendly eccentric;
  • a mental case;
  • a real character;
  • a strange character;
  • the capable type
Meaning (2):
- a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something
Example in sentence:
  • each town has a quality all its own;
  • the radical character of our demands
Meaning (3):
- the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions
Example in sentence:
  • education has for its object the formation of character
Meaning (4):
- good repute
Example in sentence:
  • he is a man of character
Meaning (5):
- a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability
Example in sentence:
  • requests for character references are all too often answered evasively
Meaning (6):
- an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
Example in sentence:
  • she is the main character in the novel
Meaning (7):
- an actor's portrayal of someone in a play
Example in sentence:
  • she played the part of Desdemona
Meaning (8):
- a written symbol that is used to represent speech
Example in sentence:
  • the Greek alphabet has 24 characters