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personality Definition

per·son·al·ity (pʉr′sə nal′ə tē)

noun pl. -·ties

  1. the quality or fact of being a person
  2. the quality or fact of being a particular person; personal identity; individuality
    1. habitual patterns and qualities of behavior of any individual as expressed by physical and mental activities and attitudes; distinctive individual qualities of a person, considered collectively
    2. the complex of qualities and characteristics seen as being distinctive to a group, nation, place, etc.
    1. the sum of such qualities seen as being capable of making, or likely to make, a favorable impression on other people
    2. Informal personal attractiveness; engaging manner or qualities
  5. a person; specif.,
    1. a notable person; personage
    2. a person known for appearances on TV, radio, etc.
  6. remarks, usually of an offensive or disparaging nature, aimed at or referring to a person

Etymology: ME personalite < LL personalitas < personalis, personal

personality Synonyms

personality

n.

  1. The total of one's nature

    self, oneself, being; see character 2.

  2. Individual characteristics

    disposition, nature, temper, temperament; see character 1, temperament.

  3. A notable person

    celebrity, star, cynosure; see character 4, personage 2. See syn. study at temperament.

personality Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • endear: Emiliana's endearing personality has evoked an equally positive response from the media.
  • reflect: A. No, sites reflect the personality of the churches which create them.

Adjective modifier

  • outgoing: He is a man with an outgoing personality who also happens to have Tourette's.
  • bubbly: The Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano is reknowned for expressive voice, statuesque stage presence warm, bubbly personality.
  • addictive: You have to be careful if you have an addictive personality.
  • forceful: He is what might be described as a forceful personality.
  • well-known: Every year a message from a well-known dance personality is circulated throughout the world.
  • charismatic: It has to be a fully fledged philosophy, which is realized in practice by charismatic personalities.

Modifies a noun

  • trait: Players can customize their Home City to reflect unique personality traits, making the Home City a vital character in the game.
  • disorder: These include five related to personality disorder in a new joint program with the Home Office.
  • clash: A good team development will also explore internal outcomes such as lack of trust and personality clashes.
  • cult: But Mr Brown's ambition has become a personality cult of its own.
  • questionnaire: It is called an " indicator " because, as with all personality questionnaires, the results can be wrong.
  • quirk: Then there was the matter of her fear during the war of racial contamination, which Hutton designates as a ' personality quirk ' .

Noun used with modifier

  • subconscious: The minute you got near that machine and opened the receiver, waves from your subconscious personality flowed into it.
  • split: Seven split personalities live inside his head, each with unique killing skills.
  • TV: Many of the most well-known faces in British media attended the awards, which were hosted by TV personality Jo Brand.
  • showbiz: After his death affectionate tributes poured in from the many showbiz personalities that had worked closely with him throughout his long career.
  • television: This was awarded to Stephen by television personality Ulrika Johnson.
  • media: Naved Ali ( Jackie Shroff ), a successful media personality, takes him under his wing and Suraj believes in him completely.
personality Quotes

Detach the writer from the milieu where he has experienced his greatest sense of belonging, and you have created a discontinuity within his personality, a short circuit in his identity. The result is his originality, his creativity comes to an end. He becomes the one-book novelist or the one-trilogy writer.

—Roth, Henry

He looked like the kind of guy that wouldn't talk to you much unless he wanted something off you. He had a lousy personality.

—Salinger,J(erome) D(avid)

A big hard-boiled city with no more personality than a paper cup.

—Chandler, Raymond

Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.

—Fitzgerald, F(rancis) Scott Key

   PERSONALITY TITHE: A price paid for becoming a couple; previously amusing human beings become boring: 'Thanks for inviting us, but Noreen and I are going to look at flatware catalogs tonight. Afterward we're going to watch the shopping channel.'

—Coupland, Douglas

Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality but an escape from personality.

—Eliot,T(homas) S(tearns)