Definition of characternext
1
2
as in symbol
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 & Similar Words

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as in identity
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 & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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character

2 of 2

verb

as in to characterize
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 & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word character different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of character are attribute, property, and quality. While all these words mean "an intelligible feature by which a thing may be identified," character applies to a peculiar and distinctive quality of a thing or a class.

remarks of an unseemly character

When might attribute be a better fit than character?

The words attribute and character can be used in similar contexts, but attribute implies a quality ascribed to a thing or a being.

the attributes of a military hero

When can property be used instead of character?

The synonyms property and character are sometimes interchangeable, but property implies a characteristic that belongs to a thing's essential nature and may be used to describe a type or species.

the property of not conducting heat

In what contexts can quality take the place of character?

The meanings of quality and character largely overlap; however, quality is a general term applicable to any trait or characteristic whether individual or generic.

material with a silky quality

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 character
Noun
The latest chapter of the show focuses on women’s soccer, introducing a new group of characters while reuniting much of the original cast. Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 Also featured will be Moleskine’s Hot Stamp Cart, where guests can purchase Snoopy in Style Moleskine notebooks to be embossed with bespoke character art. Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026 Scary Movie is based on characters created by Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Denise Petski, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026 The film leans on the cafe’s constant churn of strangers coming and going to draw out each character’s voice, temperament and quirks at a brisk clip. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for character
Recent Examples of Synonyms for character
Noun
  • Portkey monetizes observability, Kong sells a broader API platform, and LiteLLM can be self-hosted.
    Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • With fatter paychecks, customers are rebelling against the chains that serve up shrinkflation and replace workers with broken self-checkout machines and touchscreen kiosks.
    Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • One is called Palindrome meaning a word, phrase, number or sequence of symbols that reads the same backward as forward.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Owls are a symbol of the transition between life and death and wisdom and knowledge.
    Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Others, however, expressed some concerns about the morality of cashing in on the destruction.
    Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Like Tara’s death for Willow, Connor’s disappearance rewrites the laws of morality for Angel.
    Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Maeda has earned a reputation for relentless pressing and work rate.
    Cerys Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Dulcich, who has a reputation as a pass catcher, delivered some impressive blocks, as did rookie tight end Will Kacmarek.
    Omar Kelly August 15, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The long-term difference could be dramatic The researchers also fed the characteristics of each driving style into a battery-aging model to estimate longer-term capacity loss.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Organizations that successfully operationalize AI in supply chain environments tend to share several common characteristics.
    George Ninikas, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The identity of the shooting victim or the person who was detained has not been released.
    Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Lowery’s identity was released after his case was transferred to adult court, Bruckhart said.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 19 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Two people were killed by Russian strikes in Zelenskyy's home city of Kryvyi Rih, the president wrote, as was one person in the northeastern city of Sumy.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Thirteen employees of a steel factory in Kryvyi Rih were injured and one person died, according to Arcelor Mittal, which operates the plant.
    Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • No documentarian has a better eye for intriguing oddballs than Errol Morris, who built his feature film career on drawing them out in conversation, from pet-cemetery owners in Gates of Heaven to small-town eccentrics in Vernon, Florida.
    Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • With its loose ends and digressions, Dream Me a Dream stays true to those idiosyncratic instincts while retaining enough of the welcoming glow of Dance of Love to make this an affecting farewell from an endearing eccentric.
    Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Character.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/character. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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