character
/ˈkærəktə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈɛrɪktɚ] /ˈkærəktər/ (ame, ipa) · [kˈɛrɪktɚ] /ˈker-ik-tər ˈka-rik-/ (ame, mw)
character — noun
- charactersingular
- charactersplural
1. the set of habits, beliefs, and other traits that distinguish one person, place,
the set of habits, beliefs, and other traits that distinguish one person, place, or thing from all others — for instance, the friendly character of a small town, or the generous character of a neighbour you admire.
The old town has kept its traditional character despite the new shopping centre.
character of a place
Growing up in a small fishing village shaped Noor's character and taught her to value patience.
character shaped by specific experiences
Brandon noticed a stubborn character in the way his uncle refused to ask for help.
The peaceful character of the neighbourhood makes it a great place to raise children.
The generous character of the local community helped the family rebuild after the fire.
文法句型
character + of + noun
adjective + character
用法筆記
Often paired with an adjective that names the quality (generous character, fragile character). The preposition 'of' introduces the thing being described.
常見錯誤
2. an interesting, unusual, or attractive quality that makes a place, object, or pe
an interesting, unusual, or attractive quality that makes a place, object, or person stand out and feel special or memorable.
The old hotel has a lot of character, with its wooden floors and handmade furniture.
have character
Sofia thought the new apartment block was boring because it had no character at all.
Tourists love the narrow streets of Lisbon's Alfama district because every corner is full of character.
The café owner painted the walls with bright murals to give the place more character.
The old bungalow on Elm Street had so much character that couples lined up to rent it.
- personality
used more for people than places; 'a city with personality' is slightly informal
- charm
emphasises pleasantness and attraction more than distinctiveness
文法句型
have character
full of character
lack character
用法筆記
Always uncountable in this sense. Usually describes places, buildings, or objects rather than people — for people the equivalent idea is 'personality'.
常見錯誤
3. the inner strength and determination to do what is right, keep going through har
the inner strength and determination to do what is right, keep going through hardship, and stay true to your principles — even when it is difficult.
Admitting a mistake in front of a large group takes real character.
take character (requires strength)
Tunde showed great character by continuing his studies after his father lost his job.
Coaching the junior football team taught Aarav that losing a match can also build character in young players.
The long climb tested the hikers' character as much as their physical fitness.
Even after her classmates mocked her, Amira showed strong character by defending the new student.
- weakness
lack of moral strength or determination
文法句型
show character
build character
test someone's character
用法筆記
Uncountable. Frequently used with 'strength of character' as an emphatic variant. Common in contexts of overcoming adversity or making principled choices.
常見錯誤
4. a person, creature, or other being that appears in a story, movie, play, or vide
a person, creature, or other being that appears in a story, movie, play, or video game, whether real or imaginary.
The novel's main character is a young artist who moves to a small village.
main character
To play a medieval noblewoman on stage, Bao spent three months learning to ride horses and sew costumes.
role as [specific type of character]
Children often draw pictures of their favourite cartoon characters from television.
The video game lets players create their own character before starting the adventure.
In the school play The Crucible, each character represents either honesty or fear during the witch trials.
文法句型
main character
play a character
like a character
常見錯誤
5. a person considered from the point of view of a particular quality they have, es
a person considered from the point of view of a particular quality they have, especially when that quality is strongly noticeable.
Old Mr. Nakamura was a remarkable character who still fixed bicycles at the age of eighty-two.
remarkable character + specific trait
The police saw a suspicious character hanging around the back of the bank.
suspicious character
Rohan is a cheerful character who always makes his classmates laugh during lunch break.
The receptionist was a nasty character who refused to help us with our bags.
Nikos is a cheerful character who always brings homemade pastries to the office on Monday mornings.
- person
neutral, no emphasis on a particular quality
- individual
slightly more formal, often used in official contexts
文法句型
an interesting character
a suspicious character
adjective + character
用法筆記
Always follows an adjective that names the quality (generous character, shady character). Without the adjective, 'a character' means an eccentric person (sense 6).
常見錯誤
6. a person whose lifestyle, views, or appearance are noticeably unusual, so that o
a person whose lifestyle, views, or appearance are noticeably unusual, so that others find them amusing or likeable because of their oddness.
Our neighbour is a real character — he walks his pet parrot every morning at six.
a real character
The old librarian was quite a character, always wearing mismatched socks and humming to herself.
quite a character
Uncle Jin is a bit of a character who collects old door handles.
Mr. Asher is our village character — he rides a unicycle to the market every Friday.
文法句型
a bit of a character
quite a character
a real character
用法筆記
Informal. Often used with 'real', 'quite a', or 'a bit of a'. The tone is affectionate or amused, not critical. If you want to criticise someone for being strange, use 'oddball' or 'weirdo' instead.
常見錯誤
7. a letter, number, punctuation mark, or any written symbol used in a writing syst
a letter, number, punctuation mark, or any written symbol used in a writing system, especially when counting or referring to individual symbols.
The password must contain at least eight characters, including one number.
eight characters (password)
Adina is learning to write Chinese characters, but she finds some of them very complicated.
Chinese character
The social media post was limited to two hundred and eighty characters, so Ignacio had to shorten his message.
The ancient stone tablet was covered in carved characters that no one could read.
Esme learned that the Chinese character for 'mountain' (山) came from a drawing of three peaks.
文法句型
number of characters
in characters
Chinese character
用法筆記
Often used with numbers ('a 5-character code') and in computing contexts ('character encoding', 'special characters').
常見錯誤
8. what most people think about a person, particularly concerning that person's hon
what most people think about a person, particularly concerning that person's honesty, trustworthiness, and moral quality.
The newspaper article was a character attack that damaged the politician's reputation unfairly.
character attack
The judge asked for character references from people who knew the defendant.
character reference
Liam is a person of good character, so everyone trusted him with the money.
The manager's lies about Gabriel's work ethic severely damaged his character within the company.
When the library needed a treasurer, Henry's good character in the neighbourhood made him the trusted choice.
- reputation
focuses on what others believe, which may be inaccurate; 'character' is about actual moral quality
- standing
more formal, emphasises position in a community hierarchy
- disrepute
the state of having a bad reputation
文法句型
character attack
good character
damage someone's character
用法筆記
Close in meaning to 'reputation', but 'character' focuses more on actual moral qualities, while 'reputation' focuses on what people believe (which may not match reality).
常見錯誤
character — adjective
- characterpositive
- more charactercomparative
- most charactersuperlative
1. describing an actor who specialises in playing unusual, eccentric, or strongly d
describing an actor who specialises in playing unusual, eccentric, or strongly distinctive roles that are very different from the actor's own personality.
After years of small roles, Tomás became known as a fine character actor.
character actor
The director needed a character actor who could convincingly play a 19th-century sailor.
Min played a quirky taxi driver in the film and became known as a fine character actor.
Caleb trained as a character actor to master a famous scientist's mannerisms.
文法句型
character actor
character part
用法筆記
Only used before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'That actor is very character.' The noun always relates to acting (actor, role, part).
2. describing a role or scene in a performance that calls for playing a strikingly
describing a role or scene in a performance that calls for playing a strikingly odd or distinctive type of person, one very different from the performer's own nature.
The new play offers character roles for a blind musician and a gruff ship captain, both requiring experienced actors.
character role + specific role types
Niran landed his first character part in a television drama about a circus family.
character part
Winning the Berlin film festival's best character performance award got Constanza noticed by studio directors.
Iris auditioned for a character cameo as a circus fortune-teller for a Netflix drama.
文法句型
character role
character part
用法筆記
Attributive only. Overlaps with the first adjective sense, but this sense focuses on the nature of the role itself rather than the actor's specialisation.
character — verb
- characterpresent simple I / you / we / they
- characters3rd person singular
- charactering-ing form
- characteredpast simple
1. to describe the typical qualities or features of a person, thing, or situation i
to describe the typical qualities or features of a person, thing, or situation in a detailed or formal way.
In Jane Austen's novel, the heroine is charactered through her witty remarks and quiet acts of generosity.
passive: be charactered through [traits]
The World Bank report characters the region's economic challenges as being rooted in rapid urban growth.
characters [noun] as [description]
What words would you use to character the atmosphere of your hometown to a foreign visitor?
Amara's essay characters that the city's character changed completely after the new railway was built.
- characterize
standard modern verb; 'character' as a verb is now rare
- describe
broader, less specific about identifying essential qualities
文法句型
character + object
character someone as something
用法筆記
Very rare in everyday English. The verb 'characterize' is far more common. This sense is mostly found in formal academic writing and literary criticism.
2. to represent or portray a person or type of person in a work of art, especially
to represent or portray a person or type of person in a work of art, especially in a way that highlights their distinctive qualities.
In the film, the hero is charactered as a reluctant warrior who would rather talk than fight.
passive: be charactered as
How would you character the villain in that story — as purely evil or as someone with understandable motives?
In the fifteenth-century fresco, each saint is charactered with a distinctive halo and symbolic object.
In the portrait, the artist charactered her grandmother by the warmth painted into the eyes.
文法句型
character + object
character someone as something
用法筆記
Archaic or highly literary. Modern writers use 'portray', 'depict', or 'characterize' instead.
3. to engrave, inscribe, or carve written symbols, letters, or decorative marks ont
to engrave, inscribe, or carve written symbols, letters, or decorative marks onto a hard surface such as stone, metal, or wood.
A master carver from Kyoto charactered each wooden panel with scenes from the old folktale.
active: character [object] with [decoration]
The old tomb had been charactered centuries ago by workers using simple iron tools.
passive perfect: had been charactered
The blacksmith charactered the blade near the hilt with the owner's name and a short prayer.
On the back of the marble plaque was charactered a single date: 12 March 1847.
文法句型
be charactered with something
用法筆記
Archaic and extremely rare in modern English. Almost always used in the passive voice. The modern equivalent is 'engraved' or 'inscribed'.