Characterization

How to spell characterization

16 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce characterization

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does characterization mean?

1. nounThe act of describing or representing the distinctive qualities or nature of someone or something.
2. nounThe creation and depiction of fictional characters in a novel, play, or film.

Characterization in a sentence

• The report objected to the characterization of the protest as violent.

• The novel was praised for its rich characterization and slow plotting.

• Her characterization of the budget cuts as minor angered the staff.

• The screenwriting course spent a week on characterization and dialogue.

Where does characterization come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the ancient Greek kharakter, which originally named an instrument for engraving and then the distinctive mark that such a tool stamped into wax, metal, or coin. Because a stamp leaves an unmistakable impression, the sense widened to mean the set of features that distinguishes one person or thing from another, and Latin took it up as character with that meaning. English borrowed character through French in the late Middle Ages, first for an engraved symbol or letter and later for a person's nature. The verb characterize, meaning to describe the distinctive qualities of something, was formed in the early seventeenth century, and the abstract noun characterization, naming the act or result of doing so, followed soon after. The long spelling preserves the full chain (character plus -ize plus -ation), and the tricky middle is the unstressed -ter- followed by the -iza- block, where fluent writers most often slip.

How the word is built

• character (from Greek kharakter: an engraved or stamped mark)
• -ize (verb-forming suffix: to make)
• -ation (noun-forming suffix: act or result of)