out of character
out of character — idiom
1. describing something a person does or says that does not fit how they normally b
describing something a person does or says that does not fit how they normally behave, so it surprises the people who know them.
Snapping at the waiter was so out of character that Isabela apologized twice.
be out of character + for a sudden behaviour
Quiet, careful Mayumi shouting across the office felt completely out of character.
out of character describing a one-off action
The manager skipped the morning meeting, which was out of character for someone so punctual.
Hugo lied to his coach, and his teammates said it was wildly out of character.
Spending the whole weekend indoors seemed out of character for such an active family.
- uncharacteristic
more formal, single-word adjective with the same meaning
- unlike someone
informal: 'It's not like him to shout'
- in character
matching how someone normally behaves
- typical
expected of that person
文法句型
be out of character
act out of character
用法筆記
Subject is the action, remark, or behaviour, not the person — say 'his comment was out of character', not 'he was out of character'. Often followed by 'for' plus the person.