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character
has definitions from the fields of theater,writing
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[ noun ] (writing) an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
Synonyms Examples "she is the main character in the novel" Used in print (James Thurber, "The Future, If Any, of Comedy,"...)The sentimental pure heart of Galahad is gone with the knightly years , but I still believe_in the heart of the George_Meredith character that was not made of the stuff that breaks '' . Related terms imaginary_being Sherlock_Holmes Don_Quixote Uncle_Sam John_Henry Liliputian Gulliver Cinderella Huckleberry_Finn Beatrice Babar El_Cid captain_horatio_hornblower commissaire_maigret Little_John Lilliputian Mother_Goose Pangloss Pantaloon Pierrot chicken_little Tarzan Tom_Sawyer Uncle_Tom Fagin Bluebeard Ali_Baba Emile Falstaff protagonist simon_legree Little_Red_Ricing_Hood Raskolnikov Robin_Hood Rumpelstiltskin Tristan Iseult Yahoo Arthur beowulf bond cheshire_cat peter_pan colonel_blimp dracula father_brown frankenstein frankenstein goofy hamlet pluto iago Houyhnhnm kilroy king_lear marlowe micawber mr._moto othello perry_mason Faust Bunyan Argonaut sinbad snoopy Galahad Gawain Guinevere Lancelot Merlin robinson_crusoe shylock scaramouch sweeney_todd walter_mitty ruritanian svengali trilby Aladdin |
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[ noun ] a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something
Examples "each town has a quality all its own" "the radical character of our demands" Used in print (The Rev. John A. O'Brien, "Let's Take Birth Control...)The latter plays a prominent role in Roman_Catholic theology and is considered decisive , entirely apart from Scripture , in determining the ethical character of birth-prevention methods . (John F. Hayward, "Mimesis and Symbol in the Arts"...)For both Plato and Aristotle artistic mimesis , in_contrast_to the power of dialectic , is relatively incapable of expressing the character of fundamental reality . The mimetic character of the imaginative consciousness tends to express itself in the presentation of artistic forms and materials . When words can be used in a more fresh and primitive way so that they strike with the force of sights and sounds , when tones of sound and colors of paint and the carven shape all strike the sensibilities with an undeniable force of data in and of themselves , compelling the observer into an attitude of attention , all this imitates the way experience itself in its deepest character strikes upon the door of consciousness and clamors for entrance . Experience is not seen , as it is in classical rationalism , as presenting us initially with clear and distinct objects simply located in space and registering their character , movements , and changes on the tabula_rasa of an uninvolved intellect . Related terms |
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[ noun ] the inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions
Examples : "education has for its object the formation of character"- Herbert Spencer Used in print (Chicago Daily Tribune...)More_than a beautiful visualization of the illustrious adventures and escapades of the tragi-comic knight-errant and his squire , Sancho_Panza , in seventeenth century Spain , this inevitably abbreviated rendering of the classic satire on chivalry is an affectingly warm and human exposition of character . (The Christian Science Monitor,...)Big_Band_Percussion ( SP 44002 ) seemed one of the least attractive discs - the arrangements just did n't have so much character as the others . (Organic Gardening and Farming,...)Pansies have character . (Bonnie Prudden, "The Dancer and the Gymnast"...)In short , gymnastics uses every part of the body and requires a great_deal of character as_well . (Frank Oppenheimer, "Science and Fear-- A Discussion...)We talk_about national character in the same way that Copernicus talked of the compulsions of celestial_bodies to move in circles . Related terms trait spirit personality responsibility integrity thoughtfulness |
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[ noun ] (theater) an actor's portrayal of someone in a play
Synonyms Examples "she played the part of Desdemona" Used in print (Chicago Daily Tribune...)The voices of all the characters , including that of Cherkasov , have richness , roughness or color to conform with the personalities . Though his character is broader and more comically rounded than the don , he gives it a firmness and toughness - a sort_of peasant dignity - too . It is really as though the Russians have seen in this character the oftentimes underlying vitality and courage of supposed buffoons . (William G. Pollard, Physicist and Christian....)The conversation of the characters creates an atmosphere suggesting the usual mixture of pleasures , foibles , irritations , and concerns which would characterize the common life of a normal village in any age . Instead , the audience can sit_back at_ease and , from the perspective of an enlightened time which no_longer believes_in such things , enjoy the dead seriousness with which the characters in the play take the witches and devils which are under discussion . Related terms portrayal hero heroine villain bit_part ingenue heavy title_role impersonate |
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[ noun ] a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)
Examples "a real character" "a strange character" "a friendly eccentric" "the capable type" "a mental case" Used in print (Edward P. Lawton, "Northern Liberals and Southern...)Or_else the North really believes that all Southerners except a_few quaint old characters have come_around to realizing the errors of their past , and are now at_heart sharers of the American_Dream , like everybody else . (John Dos Passos, Midcentury....)The place smelt of some kind of hair lotion these pimp like characters use . |
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[ noun ] a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability
Synonyms Examples "requests for character references are all to often answered evasively" Used in print (Evan Esar, Humorous English; a guide to comic ,...)Replies to requests for character reference are notorious for their evasive double-entendre . Related terms |
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[ noun ] good repute
Examples "he is a man of character" Used in print (S. J. Perelman, The Rising Gorge. New York:...)The more I probed into this young_man 's activities and character , the less savory I found him . Related terms |
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[ verb ] engrave or inscribe characters on
Related terms |
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[ noun ] a written symbol that is used to represent speech
Synonyms Examples "the Greek alphabet has 24 characters" |
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