character witness

noun

: a person who gives evidence in a legal action concerning the reputation, conduct, and moral nature of a party

Examples of character witness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fedorenko’s case, which was cited several times in the Jean-Baptiste ruling by the appeals court, featured dramatic testimony by a half-dozen Jewish survivors of Treblinka who were living in Israel, by Fedorenko himself and by character witnesses. —Miami Herald, 7 July 2025

The defense lawyers agreed not to use pro-Runcie character witnesses in the case. —Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 5 June 2025

Attorneys for Bean and Smith called character witnesses who testified that the men were good men and officers who did their job the right way. —Adrian Sainz, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025

The 36-page filing also included more than a dozen character witness letters authored by his mother, his husband, friends and other community members. —Grace Hase, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1832, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for character witness

• eyewitness
• unfitness
• fitness

Legal Definition

character witness

see witness