character

1 a written or printed mark that is meant to convey information to the reader the pictorial characters of the ancient Egyptians had long been a mystery Synonyms glyph, icon (also ikon), sign, symbol Related Words cipher, letter, numeral; hieroglyph, ideogram, pictogram, pictograph; rune

2 a person of odd or whimsical habits the junk dealer is certainly a character, but he's as honest as they come Synonyms eccentric, codger, crack, crackbrain, crackpot, crank, flake, fruitcake, head case, kook, nut, nutcase, nutter [British slang], oddball, oddity, original, quiz, screwball, weirdo, zanyRelated Words bohemian, maverick, nonconformist, quixote; coot, geezer; curio, rarity; freak; fantast, fantasticoNear Antonyms conformer, conformist, follower, sheep

3 conduct that conforms to an accepted standard of right and wrong we need more people of sound character in public office Synonyms morality, decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, probity, rectitude, righteousness, rightness, uprightness, virtue, virtuousnessRelated Words high-mindedness, honor, incorruptibility, irreproachability, irreproachableness, right-mindedness, scrupulosity, scrupulousness; appropriateness, correctness, decorousness, decorum, etiquette, fitness, propriety, seemliness; ethics, moralsNear Antonyms impropriety, indecency, indecorum, indiscretion; debauchery, degeneracy, degradation, depravity, perversion, pervertedness, sinfulness; crookedness, dishonesty, underhandedness, unscrupulousness; lowness, meanness, viciousness, vileness; corruptionAntonyms badness, evil, evildoing, immorality, iniquity, sin, villainy, wickedness

4 overall quality as seen or judged by people in general the general character of the business appears to be good Synonyms reputation, fame, mark, name, note, odor, rep [slang], report, reputeRelated Words credit, honor; celebrity, notoriety, renown; image, persona; admiration, regard, reverenceNear Antonyms discredit, disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, ignominy, infamy, obloquy, odium, opprobrium, reproach, shame

5 something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind one of the distinguishing characters of mammals Synonyms affection, attribute, attribution, characteristic, criterion, diagnostic, differentia, feature, fingerprint, hallmark, mark, marker, note, particularity, peculiarity, point, property, quality, specific, stamp, touch, traitRelated Words badge, indication, sign; emblem, symbol, token; charm, grace; excellence, merit, virtue; eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, oddity, quirk; individuality, singularity, uniqueness

6 the set of qualities that make a person different from other people she regards each of her children as having a distinctive character that should be valued for what it is Synonyms individuality, identity, individualism, personality, selfhood, self-identityRelated Words distinctiveness, idiosyncrasy, oneness, peculiarity, separateness, singleness, singularity, uniqueness; disposition, humor, nature, temper, temperament; independenceNear Antonyms conformity, conventionality

7 the set of qualities that makes a person, a group of people, or a thing different from others the basic character of the work requires that an employee be able to work quietly and independently Synonyms nature, clay, colors, complexion, constitution, genius, personality, self, toneRelated Words distinctiveness, distinctness, individuality, singularity, uniqueness; attribute, characteristic, earmark, essentiality, feature, flavor, hallmark, mark, point, property, savor (also savour), stamp, trait; disposition, grain, sort, temper, temperament; composition, makeup; essence, essentiality, interior, interiority, soul, spirit; metal, stuff, substance; habit, way

8 a member of the human race you wouldn't believe what kind of characters hang around the bus station Synonyms baby, being, bird, bod [British], body, human, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, person, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wightRelated Words hominid, homo, humanoid; brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor; celebrity, personality, self, somebodyNear Antonyms animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

to point out the chief quality or qualities of an individual or group formerly charactered as “the dark ages,” that period of history may not have been quite so benighted as once thought Synonyms characterize, define, depict, describe, portray, representRelated Words categorize, classify, pigeonhole, type; color, identify, indicate, name, specify; distinguish, individualize, mark, particularize, stamp