What does charisma mean?
Word: Charisma
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Charisma means a natural personal power that draws people to someone and makes them want to listen.
Synonyms: presence
How do you spell charisma?
Syllables: cha - ris - ma
Tricky part: The word opens with a hard k sound, written with ch. Greek words such as chorus and choir do the same, so karisma and carisma are the usual slips.
Watch out for: karisma, carisma
Memory tip: Think of a choir leader with so much presence that every singer watches her. The choir and its leader's quality begin with the same two letters.
Charisma in a sentence
Example 1: Our new captain has the charisma to lift the whole team before a big match.
Example 2: The storyteller's charisma kept the children sitting still for an hour.
Example 3: Fame fades, but a teacher with real charisma is remembered for years.
Fun Fact
The word comes from a Greek word for a gift. In the early 1900s the German thinker Max Weber used it for the personal pull of leaders, and that meaning spread into everyday speech.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word charisma as used in the sentence:
The young debater's charisma held the whole hall silent for ten minutes.
a) stamina
b) wealth
c) modesty
d) magnetism
Show answer
d) magnetism. Personal magnetism is the pull a person has on others, which is what kept the hall silent.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
ch_r_sma
a) a, e
b) e, i
c) o, i
d) a, i
Show answer
d) a, i. The middle beat is ris, and the weak vowel before it is an a.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
charrisma
a) r
b) m
c) h
d) a
Show answer
a) r. A single r follows the first vowel.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. confidence 2. eloquence 3. sincerity 4. charizma
a) a belief in your own ability
b) a special quality that makes people follow and admire you
c) being honest in what you say and feel
d) skill in speaking clearly and well
Show answer
b) a special quality that makes people follow and admire you. The z is the slip here: this word takes an s, though it is said with a soft buzz.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which job depends most on this quality?
a) balancing a household budget
b) solving a maths equation
c) inspiring a crowd with a speech
d) memorising a bus timetable
Show answer
c) inspiring a crowd with a speech
2. Which is the weakest evidence that a person has this quality?
a) friends who gladly follow your lead
b) a long list of high exam marks
c) a hall that falls silent for you
d) strangers who stop to hear you
Show answer
b) a long list of high exam marks
