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Definition of personality noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

personality

noun
 
/ˌpɜːsəˈnæləti/
 
/ˌpɜːrsəˈnæləti/
(plural personalities)
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  1. [countable, uncountable] the various aspects of a person’s character that combine to make them different from other people
    • His wife has a strong personality.
    • My outgoing personality has definitely helped me succeed.
    • He maintained order by sheer force of personality.
    • normal human personality traits (= qualities), such as shyness
    • Participants identified their own personality type and explored the implications.
    • The characters' names reflect their personalities.
    • There are likely to be tensions and personality clashes in any social group.
    • People’s clothes are often an expression of their personality.
    Extra Examples
    • Barbara has a very forceful personality.
    • For the first time she was seeing the more unpleasant aspects of her husband's personality.
    • From your personality profile, it seems you're interested in politics.
    • He has achieved success by the sheer strength of his personality.
    • His choice of clothes reflects his personality.
    • She manages to project a very distinct personality.
    • She stamped her personality on the company.
    • The events of her early life shaped her personality.
    • The job didn't really suit my personality.
    • There was a personality clash between two members of the committee.
    • a troubled man who had a vulnerable personality
    • her amiable nature and easy-going personality
    • personality conflicts between a faculty member and a student
    • Her clothes reflect her lively personality.
    • All candidates have to undergo a personality test.
    • He developed a split personality after the crash (= seemed to have more than one personality).
    • The children all have very different personalities.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bright
    • bubbly
    • extrovert
    verb + personality
    • be
    • have
    • develop
    personality + noun
    • type
    • characteristic
    • quirk
    phrases
    • an aspect of somebody’s personality
    • a side of somebody’s personality
    • a clash of personalities
    See full entry
  2. [uncountable] the qualities of a person’s character that make them interesting and attractive
    • We need someone with lots of personality to head the project.
    Extra Examples
    • He had no screen presence and lacked any real personality.
    • He has the presence and personality to hold audiences spellbound.
    • She has brought out her husband's personality since their relationship began.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bright
    • bubbly
    • extrovert
    verb + personality
    • be
    • have
    • develop
    personality + noun
    • type
    • characteristic
    • quirk
    phrases
    • an aspect of somebody’s personality
    • a side of somebody’s personality
    • a clash of personalities
    See full entry
  3. [countable] a famous person, especially one who works in entertainment or sport synonym celebrity
    • a well-known TV/radio/sports personality
    • Various personalities from the world of music were invited.
    Extra Examples
    • In a viewers' poll he was voted TV Personality of the Year.
    • a broadcast network with well-known on-air personalities
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • famous
    • great
    • important
    personality + noun
    • cult
    See full entry
  4. [countable] a person whose strong character attracts attention
    • Their son is a real personality.
  5. [uncountable] the qualities of a place or thing that make it interesting and different synonym character
    • The problem with many modern buildings is that they lack personality.
    • Interesting displays can add personality to your store window.
  6. Word Originlate Middle English (referring to the fact of being a person rather than an animal or thing): from Old French personalite, from medieval Latin personalitas, from Latin personalis ‘of a person’, from persona ‘actor's mask, character in a play’, later ‘human being’. Senses (1) and (2) date from the late 18th cent.
See personality in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee personality in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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