an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
"she is the main character in the novel"
an actor's portrayal of someone in a play
"she played the part of Desdemona"
a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability
"requests for character references are all too often answered evasively"
a written symbol that is used to represent speech
"the Greek alphabet has 24 characters"
(genetics) an attribute (structural or functional) that is determined by a gene or group of genes
"The new plant strain exhibited a drought-resistant character, proving that its ability to survive dry spells was truly genetic."
A being involved in the action of a story.
"The author introduced a new character to help the hero solve the mystery."
In plain English: Character is the set of qualities that make someone who they are and how they act when no one is watching.
"The teacher praised every student for their good character."
Usage: Use character to describe a person or animal who plays a role in a narrative, such as a movie or book. Do not use this term for an abstract quality like honesty unless you are specifically discussing moral traits within a story context.
engrave or inscribe characters on
"The ancient monk carefully engraved Buddhist characters onto the stone pillar to mark its sacred boundary."
To write (using characters); to describe.
"The author spent hours characterizing every detail of the detective's life before revealing his secret identity."
In plain English: To characterize something is to describe its main features or give it a specific quality.
"He characterizes his new job as challenging but rewarding."
Usage: Do not use "character" as a verb to mean writing text or describing something; it is strictly a noun referring to a person in a story or a distinguishing quality. Instead, use the verb "write" for creating text and adjectives like "distinctive" when describing traits.
The word "character" comes from the Latin character, which was borrowed from Ancient Greek for a mark or type made by engraving. It entered English via Middle French and originally referred to any engraved sign before taking on its modern meaning.