Etymology Journal · W
What a character!
Meaning
- This is a polite way to say someone is eccentric or behaves in a very unusual way. It is often used when a person is charmingly odd rather than truly problematic.
Affectionate, amused
Used in a sentence
- Your uncle wearing that neon suit to the funeral is certainly a character.
- Look at him dancing in the rain. What a character!
- She is a real character but you cannot help but love her.
The backstory
This stems from the traditional literary sense of a character being a distinct individual in a story. By the mid-20th century, it became a standard colloquialism for a person with a strong personality.
Heard in
Nationwide
Vibe check