character and role share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. character means “an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)”. role means “the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group”. character is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkɛɹɪktɚ/
1.n.an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
“she is the main character in the novel”
2.n.a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something
“each town has a quality all its own”
3.n.the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions
“education has for its object the formation of character”
| character | role | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɛɹɪktɚ/ | /ˈɹoʊl/ |
| Said | KER-ik-tur | rohl |
| Syllables | 3 | 1 |
| Letters | 9 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 10 | 4 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | fictional character, fictitious character | function, office, part |
Full entry for character · Full entry for role · More comparisons
/ˈɹoʊl/
1.n.the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group
“the function of a teacher”
2.n.an actor's portrayal of someone in a play
“she played the part of Desdemona”
3.n.what something is used for
“the function of an auger is to bore holes”