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Antonyms for character


Grammar : Noun
Spell : kar-ik-ter
Phonetic Transcription : ˈkær ɪk tər



Definition of character

Origin :
  • mid-14c., carecter, "symbol marked or branded on the body;" mid-15c., "symbol or drawing used in sorcery," from Old French caratere "feature, character" (13c., Modern French caractère), from Latin character, from Greek kharakter "engraved mark," also "symbol or imprint on the soul," also "instrument for marking," from kharassein "to engrave," from kharax "pointed stake," from PIE root *gher- "to scrape, scratch." Meaning extended in ancient times by metaphor to "a defining quality."
  • You remember Eponina, who kept her husband alive in an underground cavern so devotedly and heroically? The force of character she showed in keeping up his spirits would have been used to hide a lover from her husband if they had been living quietly in Rome. Strong characters need strong nourishment. [Stendhal "de l'Amour," 1822]
  • Meaning "sum of qualities that define a person" is from 1640s. Sense of "person in a play or novel" is first attested 1660s, in reference to the "defining qualities" he or she is given by the author. Meaning "a person" in the abstract is from 1749; especially "eccentric person" (1773). Colloquial sense of "chap, fellow" is from 1931. The Latin ch- spelling was restored from 1500s. Character actor attested from 1861; character assassination from 1888; character-building (n.) from 1886.
  • noun individuality
  • noun integrity
  • noun odd person
  • noun written symbol
  • noun portrayal of another
Example sentences :
  • The unaccountable change in Eudora's character perplexed and troubled her.
  • Extract from : « Philothea » by Lydia Maria Child
  • But I have a secret dread of the character and power of Alcibiades.
  • Extract from : « Philothea » by Lydia Maria Child
  • You shall now, if I have misapprehended you not, develop a new strongness of the character.
  • Extract from : « The Spenders » by Harry Leon Wilson
  • I have been acquainted with her character and actions for several years.
  • Extract from : « Harriet, The Moses of Her People » by Sarah H. Bradford
  • Connected with this subject is the character of the currency.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • We must support our rights or lose our character, and with it, perhaps, our liberties.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • It is a negative power, and is conservative in its character.
  • Extract from : « United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches » by Various
  • This impenetrableness, my dear, is to be put among the shades in his character.
  • Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
  • His character was so open, that I did not need to correct my original conception of it.
  • Extract from : « Biographical Sketches » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • He well knew the character of all the white men of the party.
  • Extract from : « Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia » by Thomas Mitchell

Synonyms for character

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019