in-character

in-character — adjective

1. matching what people expect from a particular person, based on what they know of

1.形容詞B2
釋義

matching what people expect from a particular person, based on what they know of that person's usual personality or habits.

例句

Amara's offer to help with the charity event was completely <hw>in‑character</hw> for someone as generous as her.

be in-character for + person (typical of someone's nature)

Oliver was late for the meeting again, which was <hw>in‑character</hw> for someone who never plans ahead.

同義詞
  • typical

    more common and can be used before or after a noun; 'in-character' is more collocation-like and always follows a verb

  • characteristic

    more formal; 'characteristic of' can replace 'in-character for' in most contexts

反義詞

文法句型

be in-character for + person

seem in-character for + person

remain in-character

用法筆記

This sense only appears after a linking verb (be, seem, remain, appear). It is never placed before a noun — you cannot say 'an in-character action'. Use 'typical' or 'characteristic' instead when modifiying a noun directly. The opposite is 'out of character'.

常見錯誤

❌It was an in-character reaction for him.
✅His reaction was in-character for him.
💡'in-character' is predicative only and cannot come before a noun.
❌He in-character helped his friend.
✅It was in-character for him to help his friend.
💡'in-character' is an adjective, not an adverb.

2. (of an actor or performer) continuing to behave and speak as the fictional chara

2.形容詞B2
釋義

(of an actor or performer) continuing to behave and speak as the fictional character they are playing, rather than breaking the role or behaving as their real self.

例句

Even after the director yelled 'cut!', Harriet stayed <hw>in‑character</hw> and kept speaking with her character's Scottish accent.

stay in-character (common verb + adjective pattern)

Kwame struggled to remain <hw>in‑character</hw> during the comedy scene because the other actor made him laugh.

remain in-character (formal variant)

同義詞
  • in role

    less common but synonymous; 'stay in role' has the same meaning

  • in part

    chiefly British English; used in the same predicative pattern

反義詞

文法句型

stay in-character

remain in-character

keep in-character

用法筆記

In this sense, 'in-character' most often pairs with 'stay' or 'remain'. The opposite is 'break character', which means to stop acting and behave as oneself. Unlike Sense 1, this sense rarely takes a 'for' phrase — the focus is on the performer's sustained performance rather than a personal trait.

常見錯誤

❌The actor was in-character the whole play.
✅The actor stayed in-character throughout the play.
💡'stay' or 'remain' is needed to convey the ongoing effort of acting.
❌He was very in-character today.
✅He stayed in-character today.
💡'very' does not naturally modify 'in-character'.