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Synonym Chooser

How is the word personality distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of personality are character, disposition, temperament, and temper. While all these words mean "the dominant quality or qualities distinguishing a person or group," personality applies to an aggregate of qualities that distinguish one as a person.

a somber personality

When is it sensible to use character instead of personality?

Although the words character and personality have much in common, character applies to the aggregate of moral qualities by which a person is judged apart from intelligence, competence, or special talents.

strength of character

In what contexts can disposition take the place of personality?

In some situations, the words disposition and personality are roughly equivalent. However, disposition implies customary moods and attitude toward the life around one.

a cheerful disposition

When would temper be a good substitute for personality?

While in some cases nearly identical to personality, temper implies the qualities acquired through experience that determine how a person or group meets difficulties or handles situations.

a resilient temper

When is temperament a more appropriate choice than personality?

The words temperament and personality can be used in similar contexts, but temperament implies a pattern of innate characteristics associated with one's specific physical and nervous organization.

an artistic temperament

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of personality Watching golf bring people happiness brought him happiness, and that infectious personality was felt by everyone who met him. Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Oct. 2025 That's not really my personality. Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025 The elite athlete, author, content creator, philanthropist and TV personality will be represented in all areas. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025 What sets Lipizzans apart, Langdale emphasized, is their demanding personality and remarkable longevity. Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for personality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personality
Noun
  • Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.
    EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Nov. 2025
  • Kim Kardashian promotes moon landing conspiracy The conspiracy theory is one that billionaire Kim Kardashian, a major celebrity and entrepreneur with hundreds of millions of social media followers, recently amplified.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Yates sisters, who belong to a once-prominent family who had been dragged down by a public scandal, cross paths with the twins and embark on a journey of love and constraint, identity and reinvention.
    Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • For Mateus, as for filmmakers in her personal pantheon, conflicts at hand stem inextricably from local and national history and also from oceanic depths of experience, too easily dismissed as folklore, from which individual identity and group identification emerge.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Russell Crowe plays Amorth, bringing his unique screen charisma in such a way that prevents the film from becoming too self-serious.
    Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Watch our natural selves in behind-the-scenes content, not just our serious stage presence.
    Billboard Korea, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The photos showed the reality TV star sitting in an emergency room chair holding an ice pack to his face.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
  • On possession after possession, González picked up Brunson full court and tried his best to pester the Knicks star.
    Jay King, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • David Arquette will somehow reprise his role as Dewey Riley, despite the fact that the character was stabbed to death a couple movies ago.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The actor dressed up as the character Tingle from The Legend of Zelda — a 35-year-old man obsessed with forest fairies.
    Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The most popular images depicting families are centered around nature and farmwork, leaving out indoor bonding activities like sharing meals, getting ready for work and school, playing games and shopping.
    William Jones, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Making room for levity is, then, a way of admitting the human—not through the granular and intimate detail that lends Ferrante’s novels their power but through a broader concession to nature.
    Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Special Olympics has been fighting against the discriminatory use of the word since the term’s early days as an insult.
    Kate Reilly, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The race has been no short of dogged, as insults between the candidates on the debate stage have led to archives investigations and defamation lawsuit threats.
    Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Choose from three sizes and five colors.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Available colors and sizing are limited, so be sure to snap up your pair before they’re gone.
    Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Personality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personality. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.

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