PERSONALITY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does personality mean? 

• PERSONALITY (noun)
  The noun PERSONALITY has 2 senses:

1. the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual

2. a person of considerable prominence

  Familiarity information: PERSONALITY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PERSONALITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Context example:

it is his nature to help others

Hypernyms ("personality" is a kind of...):

attribute (an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity)

Meronyms (parts of "personality"):

trait (a distinguishing feature of your personal nature)

character; fiber; fibre (the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions)

nature (the complex of emotional and intellectual attributes that determine a person's characteristic actions and reactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "personality"):

identity; individuality; personal identity (the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity)

personableness (the complex of attributes that make a person socially attractive)

anal personality; anal retentive personality ((psychoanalysis) a personality characterized by meticulous neatness and suspicion and reserve; said to be formed in early childhood by fixation during the anal stage of development (usually as a consequence of toilet training))

genital personality ((psychoanalysis) the mature personality which is not dominated by infantile pleasure drives)

narcissistic personality (personality marked by self-love and self-absorption; unrealistic views about your own qualities and little regard for others)

obsessive-compulsive personality (personality characterized by a strong need to repeat certain acts or rituals)

oral personality ((psychoanalysis) a personality characterized either by generous optimism or aggressive and ambitious selfishness; formed in early childhood by fixation during the oral stage of development)

Holonyms ("personality" is a part of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Derivation:

personal (of or arising from personality)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A person of considerable prominence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

she is a Hollywood personality

Hypernyms ("personality" is a kind of...):

celebrity; famous person (a widely known person)

 Context examples 

I have been trying to determine why money has been such a consuming interest, for this is not typical of your personality.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

It is broadly classified as a personality change due to a general medical condition.

(Organic Personality Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

People with personality disorders have trouble dealing with everyday stresses and problems.

(Personality Disorders, NIH)

UniSA's Dr Tobias Loetscher says the study provides new links between previously under-investigated eye movements and personality traits and delivers important insights for emerging fields of social signal processing and social robotics.

(Eyes Can Indicate Personality Type, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Symptoms may also include personality changes and emotional problems.

(Dementia, NCI Dictionary)

An ancient form of acupuncture based on the principle that there are five universal elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) that affect a person's emotions, personality, health, and response to treatment.

(Five element acupuncture, NCI Dictionary)

Symptoms include loss of memory, confusion, difficulty thinking, and changes in language, behavior, and personality.

(Alzheimer dementia, NCI Dictionary)

Over time, this process destroys memories, causes personality changes, and makes it hard to perform daily activities.

(Alzheimer’s protein may have natural antibiotic role, NIH)

I have since determined that a part of it was due to the man’s personality, but that the greater part was due to his totally different outlook.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Dr. Shlessinger’s remarkable personality, his whole hearted devotion, and the fact that he was recovering from a disease contracted in the exercise of his apostolic duties affected her deeply.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)