in-character

in-character — 形容詞

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

1.形容詞B2
釋義

符合個性

行為與某人平日的個性或習慣一致的

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.

Amara 主動幫忙慈善活動，對像她這麼慷慨的人來說，完全符合個性。

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.

Oliver 開會又遲到了，對一個從不事先規劃的人來說，這很符合他的個性。

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

入戲

演員持續扮演角色而非做自己的

(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.

即使在導演喊「卡」之後，Harriet 依然保持入戲，繼續用角色的蘇格蘭口音說話。

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.

Kwame 在喜劇場景中努力保持入戲，因為另一位演員一直讓他笑。

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'.