Meaning & use
character
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person in a story, film, or play.
Grammar: Use 'a character' for one, 'characters' for more than one. Often followed by 'in' to name the work.
Patterns
- a character in something
- main character
- fictional character
Harry Potter is a well-known character in modern fiction.
The main character in the novel faces many challenges.
She played the character of a detective in the movie.
nouncountable or uncountable
The qualities that make a person who they are, especially morally.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' or without, e.g. 'a strong character' or 'strength of character'.
Patterns
- strength of character
- a person of character
- good character
Her honesty and kindness show her true character.
He is a man of good character and integrity.
The ordeal revealed the character of the people involved.
nouncountabletechnical
A letter, number, or symbol used in writing or printing.
Grammar: Often used in computing or typography.
Patterns
- a character in a string
- special character
The password must contain at least eight characters.
Chinese characters are logograms, not letters.
The text file uses Unicode characters.
nouncountableinformal
An unusual or interesting person.
Grammar: Often used in a slightly humorous or affectionate way.
Patterns
- a real character
- quite a character
My grandfather was quite a character; he always told jokes.
The old man down the street is a real character.
Word forms
| plural | characters |
|---|
Common combinations
- main character
- The main character in the story is a young girl.
- fictional character
- Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional character.
- character trait
- Honesty is an important character trait.
- strength of character
- She showed great strength of character during the crisis.
- character development
- The novel focuses on the character development of the protagonist.
Synonyms and how they differ
- role
- Role refers to the part played by an actor, while character refers to the person being portrayed.
- personality
- Personality is the set of qualities that make someone unique; character often emphasizes moral qualities.
- symbol
- Symbol is a mark or sign; character is a letter or number used in writing.
Word family
- characteristic adjective
- Typical of a person or thing.
- characterize verb
- To describe the qualities of someone or something.
- characterization noun
- The way a writer creates and develops characters.
Commonly confused: character or caricature?
character vs caricature
A caricature is a drawing or description that exaggerates features for comic effect; a character is a person in a story.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'character' correctly to mean a person in a story?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 uses 'character' to mean a person in a play. Option 1 uses it to mean moral qualities, option 2 uses it to mean symbols, and option 3 uses it to mean an unusual person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “character”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.