Definition of personalitynext
1
2
3
4

Synonym Chooser

How is the word personality distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of personality are character, disposition, temperament, and temper. While all these words mean "the dominant quality or qualities distinguishing a person or group," personality applies to an aggregate of qualities that distinguish one as a person.

a somber personality

When is it sensible to use character instead of personality?

Although the words character and personality have much in common, character applies to the aggregate of moral qualities by which a person is judged apart from intelligence, competence, or special talents.

strength of character

In what contexts can disposition take the place of personality?

In some situations, the words disposition and personality are roughly equivalent. However, disposition implies customary moods and attitude toward the life around one.

a cheerful disposition

When would temper be a good substitute for personality?

While in some cases nearly identical to personality, temper implies the qualities acquired through experience that determine how a person or group meets difficulties or handles situations.

a resilient temper

When is temperament a more appropriate choice than personality?

The words temperament and personality can be used in similar contexts, but temperament implies a pattern of innate characteristics associated with one's specific physical and nervous organization.

an artistic temperament

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 personality The interview was a reminder that politics often is defined by personality, intra-party conflicts which tend to be glossed over in the midst of campaign season spin and only revealed in media post mortems. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026 King believes his personality will help him if elected to the council. — Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026 But one of them mentioned Aaron Veckey, a former agent who, in 2024, gave a series of interviews to the right-wing media personality James O’Keefe. — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026 The questionnaires typically ask about overall personality tendencies, and so cover a very long time period. — ArsTechnica, 2 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for personality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for personality
Noun
  • His work with Leonard eventually led him to work for British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and several of Leonard’s celebrity clients, including Twiggy, Jackie Onassis and Mick Jagger, per The Times.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2026
  • There are 92 handheld options in total, some named after politicians and celebrities, like the Jackie Chan—bulgogi, cilantro, avocado, lettuce, jalapeños, and onions, served on a roll or hero.
    — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Our fashion choices say much about our values, identity, and aspirations.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The research represents an early step towards making model identity and response integrity independently verifiable, potentially giving users greater confidence in the systems powering their applications.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Disposable utensils in the customer self service area are stored with the mouth contact up.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Investigators say the situation began when Scott Harrison and Kayleigh Welch-Harrison got into an argument with a person in the self-checkout lanes of store.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Despite his notoriously fiery TV persona, the Gordon Ramsay meal kit doesn’t include any pre-packaged insults or threats to shut your kitchen down — just easy-to-follow recipe cards.
    — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Gillies was surprised to learn in researching the docu that the programmers came up with a rating system for calculating the relative weight of insults.
    — Will Tizard, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Antetokounmpo’s Heat co-star Bam Adebayo scored just four points in Monday’s half before going on to finish with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 shooting on threes, nine rebounds and four assists.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The basketball expert also worked on two books with NBA star Charles Barkley.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Fit Check of the Week Tim Burton, iconoclast filmmaker extraordinaire, has a new capsule with Loewe, which has recreated characters and vignettes from The Nightmare Before Christmas as bags and charms.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Missi Pyle Pyle rounds out the new cast members to join Stick for the show’s second season, with details about her character still underwraps.
    — Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • The acquisition reflects the changing nature of aerial threats, particularly the increasing employment of relatively inexpensive unmanned aircraft by state and non-state actors.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2026
  • And investment, by its very nature, includes planting some seeds for a return that might be a little ways down the road but will be well worth the investment.
    — John Nichols, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Piker says most viewers on his stream understood the comments as sarcasm.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2026
  • There’s a hint of sarcasm in that statement, but also a dose of reality.
    — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Personality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/personality. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on personality

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!