out of character

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The quality of the United move that led to the winner 19 minutes from time was out of character with an otherwise uninspired 90 minutes.

From Barron's

Her family and friends said her disappearance was completely out of character; she wasn't the kind of person who would abandon her much-loved kids and leave home.

From BBC

Mr. Powell radiates such manly American likability that it’s bizarrely out of character for him to play this ruthless schemer, even as an impish chancer.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Anytime now. We’re not exactly sure when she was bred. As elephants go, Pet’s pretty steady, but the past few days she’s been acting up. She can’t seem to get comfortable when she lies down, she’s off her feed, and yesterday she took a poke at me with her trunk for no good reason, which is really out of character for her. Normally she’s the most easygoing elephant I’ve ever been around.”

From Literature

"It was so totally out of character. She would have phoned."

From BBC