per ‧ son ‧ al ‧ i ‧ ty S3 W3 /ˌpɜːsəˈnæləti, ˌpɜːsəˈnælɪti $ ˌpɜːr-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural personalities )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ person , ↑ personality , ↑ persona , ↑ personage , the personals, ↑ personification , ↑ personnel ; adjective : ↑ personal ≠ ↑ impersonal , ↑ personalized , ↑ personable ; verb : ↑ personalize , ↑ personify ; adverb : ↑ personally ≠ ↑ impersonally ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] someone’s character, especially the way they behave towards other people:
Despite their different personalities, they became the best of friends.
Unfortunately, the illness can lead to changes in personality.
⇨ ↑ split personality
2 . [countable] someone who is very famous and often appears in the newspapers, on television etc, especially an entertainer or sports person ⇨ celebrity
TV/radio/sports personality
one of the most well-liked TV personalities
3 . [uncountable] the qualities of character that make someone interesting or enjoyable to be with:
He’s honest but he lacks personality.
4 . [countable usually singular] someone who has a very strong character and is very different from other people:
He was a dynamic personality in the business world.
5 . [countable usually singular] the qualities which make a place or thing different and interesting:
It’s partly the architecture which gives the town its personality.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a strong personality
Mercer has a strong personality and always tells you his opinion.
▪ a forceful personality
The architect’s forceful personality ensured that the work progressed rapidly.
▪ a dominant personality (=controlling other people)
He had a dominant personality and could be a bit of a bully.
▪ a warm personality (=friendly and kind to people)
Everyone who knew Roseanne will miss her warm personality.
▪ an outgoing/extrovert personality (=liking to talk to people)
The job requires someone with an outgoing personality.
▪ an engaging personality (=pleasant, so that people like you)
He is strikingly handsome with a very engaging personality.
▪ a bubbly personality (=happy and eager to do things)
Her bright and bubbly personality made her one of the most popular girls in her year.
▪ a lively/vivacious personality (=liking to meet and talk to people)
Her lively personality won her many admirers.
▪ a charismatic personality (=strong and attractive, so that people admire and respect you)
Like many other people, I was attracted by his charismatic personality.
■ personality + NOUN
▪ a personality trait formal (=a part of your personality)
She shares many of her mother’s personality traits.
▪ a personality disorder (=a mental illness affecting someone’s personality)
The hospital treats patients with severe personality disorders.
▪ a personality clash (=when people cannot work together because they are so different)
The band eventually split because of personality clashes.
▪ a personality test
Employers are increasingly using personality tests to help them select staff.
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THESAURUS
■ a famous person
▪ star a famous and successful actor, musician, or sports person:
She dreamed of becoming a movie star.
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a talent show to find the stars of the future
▪ celebrity someone who often appears in newspapers, on television etc and is well-known to the public. Celebrities are often famous for being famous, not because they have any great ↑ talent :
The magazine is full of gossip about celebrities.
▪ name a famous person whose name is known by many people – used especially in the following expressions:
All the big names in football were at the awards dinner.
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Giorgio Armani is one of the most famous names in fashion.
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He is yet to become a household name (=someone who everyone has heard of) .
▪ personality an entertainer or sports player who is famous and often appears in the newspapers, on television etc. – used especially in the following phrases:
Many advertisers use TV personalities to promote their products.
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He was chosen as sports personality of the year.