CHARACTERS Synonyms: 218 Similar and Opposite Words

characters 1 of 2

noun

plural of character

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 eccentrics

a person of odd or whimsical habits the junk dealer is certainly a character, but he's as honest as they come

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as in reputations

overall quality as seen or judged by people in general the general character of the business appears to be good

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as in characteristics

something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind one of the distinguishing characters of mammals

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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

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as in personalities

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

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as in people

a member of the human race you wouldn't believe what kind of characters hang around the bus station

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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

Netflix has created an Academy Award-winning global phenomenon with KPop Demon Hunters that has inspired fans around the world with its powerful music, storytelling, and characters. — Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 The pair co-starred as father and daughter Noah and Claire Bennet in the hit NBC show from 2006 to 2010, which saw a cast of ordinary characters suddenly gain superhero powers and abilities. — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026 Kakashi is one of the most popular characters in the long-running and massively popular manga. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026 Kareem Rahma’s man-on-the-train interviews manage to celebrate the city’s eclectic characters and extensive public transit systems while providing a platform for the 21st century’s definitive art form, the hot take. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026 That strategy will be on display in February, when ABC and ESPN carry the Super Bowl from Los Angeles, with lead-up coverage likely to incorporate Disney characters and the company’s Southern California theme park. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Aug. 2026 Season 3 wrapped in April 2025, knocking off multiple fan-favorite characters and some big-name guest players. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Aug. 2026 Stewart and Shawkat have a fun and amiable vibe together, even if their characters aren’t immediately in focus. — Katie Walsh, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 For the Moon is Éric Baudelaire’s improvisatory collaboration with kids at the National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, while Dan Sallitt’s What Can’t Be Mentioned catches up with characters from Sallitt’s acclaimed The Unspeakable Act. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Aug. 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

The sculpture depicts a female figure, her cloak billowing out in the shape of a seed around her and etched with more than 300 global symbols of peace, holding olive branches and surrounded by six children, each representing a continent.

— Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
Abdeen guessed that they were drawn to the familiar symbols that the Masons borrowed from what the French had dubbed the Orient, such as the tarboosh, a brimless and tasselled hat.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of symbols

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
Dippold has populated the show with lovable eccentrics played by great character actors—Dale Dickey, Jeff Hiller, Tim Baltz.

— Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 18 June 2026

Definition of eccentrics

Noun

Dalton and Elijah are well-matched, their reputations equally spotless.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
WhatNot and other live shopping retailers are shedding their reputations as purveyors of baseball cards by expanding their digital aisles, benefitting niche auction-fluencers like Lally.

— Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of reputations

Noun

Its license plate readers capture plate numbers along with vehicle characteristics such as make, model and color, and some Flock systems can identify distinguishing features such as bumper stickers or aftermarket modifications.

— Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
El Niño and La Niña are different phases of the same system—the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a large-scale climate pattern whose oceanic and atmospheric characteristics occur in and above the east-central Pacific Ocean.

— John P. Rafferty, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of characteristics

Noun

Kathy Hilton and Rocky producer Irwin Winkler are shareholders, as are a number of billionaires from overseas who obscure their identities through LLCs.

— Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
But the association will not advertise a destination until the tribe or business approves its description – a small reversal of the old roadside economy, in which outsiders invented Native identities for signs and souvenirs.

— Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of identities

Noun

The chat show will give fans even more action, bringing them closer to the personalities, dynamics and relationships at the heart of the series.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
As fans mourn Dolly Parton, two longtime Philadelphia radio personalities are remembering the country music icon for an influence that stretched far beyond her songs.

— Eva Andersen, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of personalities

Noun

Another 13 people were wounded on downtown Sacramento’s K Street and 10th Street, in what became the deadliest mass shooting in the city’s history.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026
Organizers say more than 125,000 people are expected throughout the event, bringing in millions of dollars for the local economy.

— Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 June 2026

Definition of people

Verb

The mitigation-versus-adaptation split characterizes a lot of climate action, but few people outside of those actively working on climate change think of this dichotomy.

— Jamil Wyne, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Many of the visions emerging out of Silicon Valley have been lifted wholesale from science fiction, but without the critical awareness that characterizes the genre — and without genuine openness to the unfamiliar.

— Carline Tromp, The Dial, 18 Aug. 2026