characters 1 of 2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
4
5
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
Instead, Cretton is now in charge of one of the most popular characters in the world. Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 23 July 2026 Despite these commonalities, their characters couldn’t be more different. Byron Hurd, The Drive, 23 July 2026 These two are quite important and anticipated characters who will change the frame of the tension between Percy and Thalia as children of two of the big three gods. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 23 July 2026 The principal characters, including Queen Elizabeth, are played by three different sets of actors for two seasons each. David Faris, TheWeek, 23 July 2026 Throughout five seasons, these characters challenged each other and challenged us. Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 Just like the preschoolers who watch CoComelon at home, the toddler characters on the show go to school, too. Parents, 23 July 2026 The same holds true for McDonald’s BT21 Happy Meal, which comes with cute characters that have ring clips. Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 23 July 2026 The reboot’s creative team worked with Osage scholar and consultant Robert Warrior to draw inspiration for the characters of William Mitchell and his wife, White Sun, from 19 Osage families who lived in Kansas at the time settlers arrived. Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 16 July 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
  • This biennial event, focusing on these symbols of monarchy, will feature curators, historians, and gemologists from institutions like The Met and Rijksmuseum.
    Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026
  • In many other traditions, dragons are not symbols of greed but of wisdom, protection, and prosperity.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Inbred eccentrics and bumbling detectives have populated the seaside villages of Bruno Dumont’s absurdist comedies.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 June 2026
Noun
  • That was how former Stoke City midfielder Rory Delap — Chelsea striker Liam Delap’s dad — built one of the Premier League’s most unlikely reputations, and how a Huddersfield Town academy graduate has now gone viral.
    George Edwards, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Retailers’ reputations as poor environments for technology innovation is not unjustified, but their behavior is not completely irrational either.
    Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • The other examines how climate change altered the characteristics of the event that happened; for example, whether a hurricane produced more rainfall or a heat wave became hotter because the atmosphere has warmed.
    Deepti Singh, The Conversation, 24 July 2026
  • Nicknamed Planet Nine and sometimes more generically called Planet X, its existence is hotly debated, but most predictions of this putative world’s characteristics put it squarely in the range of LSST’s capabilities to spot.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 24 July 2026
Noun
  • Organizations must continuously evaluate how identities are using access over time, whether behavior aligns with intended purpose and whether permissions remain appropriate as agents evolve.
    Itamar Apelblat, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Authorities have not released the identities of the victims or announced what charges the suspect will face.
    Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026
Noun
  • To produce the coverage, Telemundo deployed more than 80 on-air personalities representing every Latin American country in the tournament, generating over 700 hours of original programming across 39 days.
    Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • The reductions primarily involve behind-the-scenes production staffers, but a handful of on-air personalities also are leaving including lead baseball play-by-play voice Karl Ravech and NFL analyst Ryan Clark.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 July 2026
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
Verb
  • Strada’s website characterizes the candidate as a successful businessman.
    Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026
  • Google acknowledges that regulators are open to adjusting the rules, but Walker still characterizes this ruling as a threat to privacy, business trade secrets, and even national security.
    Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 16 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Characters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characters. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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