characters 1 of 2

Definition of charactersnext
plural of character
1
as in symbols
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

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as in identities
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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characters

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of character
as in characterizes
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

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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 characters
Noun
The singer has voiced several other iconic characters, including Simba in Disney’s 2019 live-action Lion King movie and Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which premiered in April 2026. Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026 Janet shares a lot of scenes with different characters, like Robbie (Morris), Lonnie (Abraham Popoola) or even Frankie (Cary Christopher), the little boy who’s friendly with Ben. Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026 Carney is a moralist, a filmmaker of fidelity—and of renunciation, depicting the romantic near-misses and what-ifs that his characters leave behind. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 29 May 2026 And finally, more water parks and characters will be in Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom. Ella Gonzales may 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 May 2026 While their saga has come to an end, the show will employ a Bridgerton-esque strategy in its next season, featuring side characters (the respective best friends of season one’s protagonists) as the next season’s main characters. Kenneal Patterson, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026 Much of the main cast—those whose characters survived S2—are returning, including D’Arcy, Glynn-Carney, and Mitchell. ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026 Their ultimate goal is to soothe both the main characters and the viewers at home, often by allowing characters to address unresolved traumas from their past. Kayti Burt, Time, 29 May 2026 In other words, for younger visitors who are familiar with Pokémon characters but unfamiliar with various types of dinosaurs, the exhibition is a pathway into real science. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026
Verb
Jon Favreau tells Entertainment Weekly why Star Wars characters Ahsoka Tano and Thrawn don't make an appearance in The Mandalorian and Grogu. Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026 What would Six Flags look like without its most valuable properties like Looney Tunes and, especially, its DC Comics characters Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman? Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025 KPop Demon Hunters characters Derpy Tiger and Sussie were also featured. Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 28 Nov. 2025 Netflix characters Derpy Tiger and Sussie from KPop Demon Hunters will also join the lineup. Daniel Orton, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characters
Noun
  • Police are investigating after the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was vandalized with antisemitic symbols, officials said on Saturday morning.
    Nick Lentz, CBS News, 6 June 2026
  • Over the past year, two biographers have attempted to flesh out the men behind the symbols.
    Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
Noun
  • But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 2 May 2026
  • The town’s overflowing with charming Midwest eccentrics, including a cocky mayor (Henry Winkler) and a welcoming barkeep (Lena Headey).
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • People have been threatened over their political beliefs, and there are some who use social media and other platforms to try and ruin reputations.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
  • The gallery’s and Cooke’s reputations grew along with it.
    Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Noun
  • That creative industry may ultimately become one of LA28's defining characteristics.
    Tim Genske, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026
  • Garbett adds other characteristics too.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Noun
  • The raid sparked a series of public protests and catalyzed the gay rights movement at a time when many LGBTQ+ people kept their identities to themselves.
    Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
  • Authentication standards are not uniformly adopted for every piece of online technology, yet the identities themselves, human and non-human, routinely traverse these boundaries with threats and risks at various stages of communication and secrets storage.
    Morey Haber, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • Those keen on his appointment may well hope his approach to managing the squad’s difficult personalities can unlock a more effective way of motivating Madrid’s galacticos to put in the hard yards.
    Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • One by one, many of the network’s most prominent on-air personalities have made their displeasure known, sinking morale among the rank-and-file and prompting leaks and internal frustration.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 28 May 2026
Verb
  • The Padres scored in the seventh because of another thing that characterizes the young Nationals, who are 28-28.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2026
  • The conflation of multimodality and hypertextuality has been labeled hypermodality by researchers in order to highlight that the dynamic web of connectivity that characterizes hypertexts goes beyond monomodal texts with recurrent and recognizable characteristics.
    Carmen Daniela Maier, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Noun
  • The decision to launch Allen’s show in Colbert’s time slot on a Friday was surprising, because none of the current crop of late-night programs airs originals regularly on Fridays, meaning the audience does not regularly tune to them in typical numbers.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 May 2026
  • Her exact pair is sold out nearly everywhere, but luckily, Amazon carries a similar style that channels the same sleek feel as the originals.
    Annie Blackman, InStyle, 29 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Characters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characters. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.

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