I am searching for a word or term to describe a fictional character I am creating.

Question

The character is pulchritudinous but I am searching for a term that demonstrates that her physical beauty is dwarfed by her inner beauty. She is kind, inviting and just a positive person to be around. I am looking preferably for a word that is as uncommon as she is

Answer 1

Kalon seems like what you are trying to describe. Kalon means the ideal of physical and moral beauty especially as conceived by the philosophers of classical Greece. It is the neuter version of the word kalos meaning good, or beautiful. Kalon is defined as inward beauty manifested on the outside. Greek philosophy draws an important distinction between kalon and what is “beautiful.” Kalon is solely applicable if an entity is deemed beautiful by demonstrating their worth and honorability, their projection becomes the ideal beauty, both physically and morally.

You could also use the Latin root bellus, meaning beautiful in every sense. Or pulchrior, which is "more beautiful," from the Latin word pulcher. Pulchrius is a slightly more pleasant sounding word, and is the gender neutral form.

Answer 2

I think there are a few strategies you could approach to describe your character, depending on your target audience and what impression you want them to get from the description. For a general audience, dynamic descriptors like "electrifying," "radiant," "captivating," "dazzling," or "incandescent" can illustrate a character whose personality is so large, it swallows the room. Even fairly simple adjectives might be able to produce the desired effect, such as "tender," "brilliant," "bursting," "peerless," "vibrant," or "class" -- punchy words that leave a strong impression if they're used deliberately. If you can communicate this through verbs instead, that can also enhance the effect of your word choice.

Drawing a comparison to a physical object and using descriptors not often applied to people might be a way for you to set your character apart. Describing her personality as "crackling" conjures an image of someone so full of energy, it's itching to burst out of her like sparks of static electricity. Describing her as "suffusive" implies her personality is like light pouring into a room from large windows. If she is "effervescent," her personality is so lively, it's like her words and actions are bubbles floating to the surface of a liquid. "Effulgent" means to shine brightly, and could be used to describe a person with an especially positive or amiable personality. "Scintillating," meanwhile, means to sparkle or flash, and could be used to describe someone particularly witty or exciting in their speech and actions.

Not all of these words can be used interchangeably, of course. There's nothing wrong with picking a word that simply communicates how much your character's personality engulfs the rest of her. However, if you want to distill her entire personality down into one meaningful word, it might be worth considering how intense you want the character's personality to come across, and what specific aspects of her personality are most important to communicate. Someone who is extremely positive can be described as "vibrant," but that can also apply to a completely different person who is charismatic in conversation, or someone who is energetic, or someone who is alluring in a specifically romantic context. Certain words might communicate additional qualities, like whether your character is gentle or sharp, sturdy or delicate, reserved or outgoing, a leader or support, etc.