[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/characterisation.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / characterisation

[← C](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/C/)

# characterisation

«characterisation» in Mova's school dictionary: **The way a writer or actor shows what a character in a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (characterisation, uncountable; a characterisation, characterisations); US spelling characterization

### meaning for a pupil

1) The way a writer or actor shows what a character in a story is like. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#m1)

2) (formal) A description of the main qualities of someone or something. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In English lessons: how an author creates characters through speech, actions, thoughts and how others react. Exam language: «comment on the writer's characterisation of the villain». Science (formal): characterisation of a material describes its properties.

### examples

- The author's characterisation of the giant makes him kind as well as scary. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#x1)
- We studied characterisation in our reading lesson. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#x2)
- Good characterisation makes readers care about a hero. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#x3)
- The actor's characterisation of the king was brilliant. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#x4)
- That is an unfair characterisation of my friend. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#x5)
- Use dialogue to help your characterisation. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#x6)
- The subtle characterisation of the various occupations reaches a high level of artistic merit. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/#x7)

### note

UK spelling -isation; US -ization. Verb: characterise/characterize. Do not confuse with «character» (the person in the story).

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «characterisation» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/characterisation/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.