INDEX:
1. someone’s character
2. one part of someone’s character
3. someone’s real character
4. a definite character that makes someone different from other people
5. the character of something
6. one part of the character of something
RELATED WORDS
the way that someone behaves or does something : ↑ WAY
see also
↑ PERSON/PEOPLE
↑ TYPICAL (2)
↑ NICE
↑ HORRIBLE
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1. someone’s character
▷ character /ˈkærɪktəʳ, ˈkærəktəʳ/ [countable noun usually singular]
the combination of qualities that makes someone a particular kind of person, for example a good or bad, honest or dishonest person :
▪ Her behavior last night revealed a lot about her character.
▪ A candidate’s character and qualifications are more important than past experience.
▪ What strikes me most about Hamlet is his noble character.
▷ personality /ˌpɜːʳsəˈnælɪti, ˌpɜːʳsəˈnæləti/ [countable noun]
someone’s character - use this especially about how someone behaves towards other people, for example whether they are friendly or unfriendly, confident or easily frightened etc :
▪ It’s true he can be emotional at times but that’s just part of his personality.
▪ This election should be about issues and policies, not about the personalities of the candidates!
friendly/nice/warm etc personality
▪ Yun has a lovely, warm personality.
▷ nature /ˈneɪtʃəʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
someone’s character - use this especially to say whether someone is naturally good or bad, gentle or severe etc :
▪ Kindness and sympathy were in his nature.
▪ My girlfriend has a rather unforgiving nature so I don’t think that I’ll tell her.
▪ She was surprised to learn he had a romantic side to his nature.
by nature
use this when saying what someone’s usual character is
▪ She’s generous by nature.
▪ I am not by nature a violent man, but these insults were more than I could bear.
it’s not in somebody’s nature
▪ It was not in his nature to take risks.
▷ temperament /ˈtemp ə rəmənt/ [countable/uncountable noun]
the emotional part of someone’s character, especially how likely they are to become angry, happy, sad etc :
▪ His calm, quiet temperament made him popular with his colleagues.
▪ My father and I got along very well, having very similar temperaments.
the right temperament
▪ I’m not sure if she has the right temperament for the job.
▷ a nervous/jealous etc disposition /ə ˌnɜːʳvəs, ˌdʒeləs dɪspəˌzɪʃ ə n/ [singular noun] formal
a character that makes it likely that you will behave nervously, jealously etc :
▪ This program may not be suitable for people with a nervous disposition.
be of a nervous/jealous etc disposition
▪ He’s considerate and sweet-tempered but of a very nervous disposition.
have a nervous/jealous etc disposition
▪ Sue had a sunny disposition and a warm smile.
▷ make-up British /makeup American /ˈmeɪk ʌp/ [singular noun]
someone’s character - use this especially to say that someone’s character is completely fixed and they cannot change it or control it :
▪ It’s not in their make-up to accept defeat.
▪ Her constant attempts to justify her actions tell the reader a lot about her emotional make-up.
▪ This behaviour is part of our genetic make-up rather than our cultural conditioning.
be part of somebody’s make-up
▪ Stubbornness has always been a significant part of his makeup.
▷ what makes somebody tick /wɒt ˌmeɪks somebody ˈtɪk/ informal
if you know what makes someone tick, you understand their character, desires, and what makes them behave in the way they do :
▪ After working with him for five years, I still don’t know what makes him tick.
▪ As a teacher, you need to get to know your students, find out what makes them tick.
2. one part of someone’s character
▷ quality /ˈkwɒlɪti , ˈkwɒləti ǁˈkwɑː-/ [countable noun]
something such as an ability or a way of behaving that is part of someone’s character :
▪ Besides intelligence and charm, Bella had some less desirable qualities.
▪ The essential quality of a good parent is patience.
▪ Among his other endearing qualities, Ralph was an exceedingly patient man.
▷ attribute /ˈætrɪbjuːt, ˈætrəbjuːt/ [countable noun]
a part of someone’s character, especially a part that is thought by other people to be good and useful :
▪ The attribute that people found most attractive in Sharon was her optimism.
▪ Hope is one of mankind’s most enduring and rewarding attributes.
▪ He had all the attributes of a great leader: charisma, energy, discipline, and resourcefulness.
▷ characteristic /ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk◂, ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk◂/ [countable noun usually plural]
someone’s characteristics are the qualities that are typical of them and which make them easy to recognize :
▪ All great leaders share certain characteristics which must be seen as the key to their success.
▪ Ralph can be very mean sometimes. It’s one of his less endearing characteristics.
▷ trait /treɪ, treɪt ǁ treɪt/ [countable noun]
one type of feeling or behaviour that is particularly noticeable in a person or group of people :
▪ It’s a human trait to joke about subjects that make us uncomfortable.
family trait
a trait shared by members of a family
▪ Pride seems to be one of our family traits.
personality trait
▪ Certain personality traits make people more likely to become victims of violent crime.
▷ side /saɪd/ [countable noun]
romantic/serious/funny etc side
a part of someone’s character, especially one that is very different from the rest of their character :
▪ Canning was a very traditional Englishman but he had a surprisingly romantic side to him as well.
▪ Val revealed her wild side at the office party.
▪ After his arrest people realized that there had always been a darker side to his nature.
▷ part of me/her /ˈpaːrt əv miː, hɜːʳ/ [countable noun]
one part of someone’s character, which makes them behave or feel in particular ways :
▪ Part of me loves going to parties but there’s another part that prefers staying at home.
▪ There is a part of her that I just don’t understand.
▷ streak /striːk/ [countable noun]
a part of someone’s character that is quite different from the rest of their character, especially one that makes them behave badly :
mean/nasty/violent etc streak
▪ She had a mean streak that she didn’t bother to hide.
▪ The District Attorney argued that Johnson has a violent streak and is a danger to society.
▷ thing /θɪŋ/ [countable noun] informal
a part of someone’s character, especially one that you like or dislike :
▪ One of the things I like about Susan is the way she always keeps smiling, even when there are problems.
▪ The nicest thing about Richard is that he doesn’t mind being criticized.
▷ good points/bad points /ˈgʊd ˌpɔɪnts, ˈbæd pɔɪnts/
good or bad things about someone’s character :
▪ Fred was a bad manager but he had his good points.
▪ She always tried to be fair with her students and not just stress their bad points.
▪ When you’re dead people don’t remember your faults -- only your good points.
▷ quirk /kwɜːʳk/ [countable noun]
a strange or unusual habit or part of someone’s character :
▪ Although on the outside he was quiet and shy, Albert had more than his share of quirks.
▪ She took pride in her children’s quirks and individuality, and made no effort to try to change them.
▷ there’s something about somebody /ðeəʳz ˈsʌmθɪŋ əbaʊt somebody/
you say this when there is something about a person’s character that you like or dislike, but you’re not sure exactly what it is :
▪ I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about that man which really irritates me.
3. someone’s real character
▷ true colours British /true colors American /ˌtruː ˌkʌləʳz/ [plural noun]
if someone shows their true colours they do something that shows what they are really like, when they have been pretending to be something different :
▪ With the elections safely behind him, Hitler began to show his true colours.
▪ He was friendly to me at first but he showed his true colors when we were both up for the same promotion.
▷ underneath /ˌʌndəʳˈniːθ/ [adverb/preposition]
if someone is nice, jealous, frightened etc underneath, they really are nice, jealous, or frightened even though their behaviour shows a different character :
▪ I know that she seems very aggressive, but underneath she’s really quite shy.
▪ Underneath all that boastful talk you’ll find that he’s actually a very nice guy.
underneath it all
▪ She laughed as if she was joking but underneath it all, I knew she meant it.
▷ deep down /ˌdiːp ˈdaʊn/ [adverb]
if someone is cruel, dishonest, good etc deep down, that is their true character even though they hide this in their usual behaviour :
▪ Deep down, I think she’s really very ambitious.
▪ Yeah, sometimes he can be really nice and polite but, I tell you, deep down he’s an animal!
▷ at heart /ət ˈhɑːʳt/ [adverb]
if you are a particular type of person at heart, that is your true character even though you may sometimes think you are different :
▪ She’s a traveller at heart. You’ll never get her to settle down.
▪ Paul was an easy-going fellow at heart who wanted only to enjoy himself.
4. a definite character that makes someone different from other people
▷ identity /aɪˈdentɪti, aɪˈdentəti/ [uncountable noun]
the definite character that a person or group sees themselves as having, which lets them feel different and separate from everyone else :
▪ She was afraid marriage would cause her to lose her identity.
▪ The islanders are proud of their strong regional identity.
sense of identity
the feeling that you have a strong identity
▪ Many teenagers play sports to gain a sense of identity.
▷ individuality /ˌindɪˌvidʒuˈæləty, ˌindəˌvidʒuˈæləty/ [uncountable noun]
the quality of being clearly different from other people and having your own personal character :
▪ It’s difficult to be part of a highly organized group such as the armed forces without losing some of your individuality.
▪ We have a close working relationship while retaining our individuality and separate interests.
▷ personality /ˌpɜːʳsəˈnælɪti, ˌpɜːʳsəˈnæləti/ [uncountable noun]
the quality of being interesting, friendly, and enjoyable to be with, that makes someone seem very different from most other people :
▪ Everyone loves her for her cheerful personality.
▪ Yes, he’s got plenty of talent and ambition, but he’s got no personality.
▪ Billie Holiday or Bessie Smith had more personality than a hundred of today’s pop singers.
5. the character of something
▷ character /ˈkærɪktəʳ, ˈkærəktəʳ/ [singular/uncountable noun]
the combination of qualities that a particular kind of place, thing etc has :
the character of
▪ The whole character of the school had changed.
▪ We’ll find out about the true character of this team after these next few games.
character
▪ Marx’s view of society stressed its dynamic character.
in character
▪ Liquids are different in character from both solids and gases.
▷ nature /ˌneɪtʃəʳ/ [singular/uncountable noun]
the true character of something, which you must understand in order to know what it is really like :
the nature of
▪ The doctor admitted that he didn’t yet understand the nature of Julie’s illness.
▪ Monnens spends his days explaining the nature of Internet advertising to clients.
by its nature
because of its nature
▪ Computers, by their nature, tend to change the way offices are organized.
be in the nature of something
be a permanent part of its nature
▪ It’s in the nature of elections that campaigning sometimes gets quite tough.
▷ essence /ˌes ə ns/ [singular noun]
the most basic and important quality of something that make it different from anything else :
the essence of
▪ This is the essence of the problem, as I see it.
▪ The movie brilliantly captures the essence of Calcutta’s street life.
▪ Sharing is the essence of friendship.
in essence
most importantly
▪ His speech was, in essence, a plea for understanding and conciliation.
6. one part of the character of something
▷ characteristic /ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk◂, ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk◂/ [countable noun usually plural]
a part of the character of something that makes it clearly different from or similar to other things :
▪ One of the characteristics of this species is the dark blue markings on its back.
▪ The main characteristics of capitalism are private ownership of capital and freedom of enterprise.
share characteristics/have characteristics in common
have similar characteristics
▪ The UK shares many characteristics with other European countries.
▪ The two diseases have a number of characteristics in common.
▷ quality /ˈkwɒlɪti , ˈkwɒləti ǁ ˈkwɑː-/ [countable noun]
an important part of the character of something, especially a part that is good :
▪ There are certain qualities in Orwell’s prose that I greatly admire.
▪ Despite its many qualities, the school simply isn’t getting results.
▪ This wine possesses a unique quality.
a quality of
▪ There is a wonderful quality of innocence in these paintings.
▷ property /ˈprɒpəʳtiǁ ˈprɑː-/ [countable noun]
a characteristic that a particular substance or chemical has :
▪ The properties of the soil influence the growth of the plants.
▪ We test the chemical and biological properties of the samples.
▪ The conducting properties of solids vary widely.
▷ feature /ˈfiːtʃəʳ/ [countable noun]
an important, noticeable, or interesting characteristic of something :
▪ The hotel’s most attractive feature is its magnificent view of Mount Hood.
▪ Patriotism was a prominent feature in Bush’s election campaign.
a feature of
▪ Information on employment is a central feature of this training course.
▷ attribute /ˈætrɪbjuːt, ˈætrəbjuːt/ [countable noun]
a characteristic of an organization or system, especially a good characteristic :
▪ He possesses the essential attributes of a journalist.
▪ She spent most of the interview describing the company’s attributes to me.
▷ thing /θɪŋ/ [countable noun usually singular] informal
a characteristic of something, especially one that you like or dislike :
▪ The thing that I really hate about this job is having to work late at night.
▪ All that lovely fresh air -- that’s the best thing about living in the country.
▷ good points/bad points /ˈgʊd pɔɪnts, ˈbæd pɔɪnts/ [plural noun]
the good or bad things about a place or thing :
▪ The city is big and noisy, but it does have its good points too.
▷ there’s something about something /ðeəʳz ˈsʌmθɪŋ əbaʊt something/
you say this when there’s something about a thing, a place, someone’s behaviour etc that you like or dislike, but you’re not sure exactly what it is :
▪ There’s something very strange about this whole affair.
▪ There was something about the place that gave me the creeps.