What does charisma mean?

Charisma is the magnetic and charming personal quality that draws people to someone.

People who have an outgoing, energetic, and likable personality that seems to naturally draw other people to them are said to have charisma. Such people are often described with the adjective form of the word, charismatic.

A person with charisma is thought to be able to easily influence others. Charisma is most often used in a positive way as a compliment, but it is sometimes used to imply that someone’s appeal is based entirely on their outgoing personality, rather than the substance of their actions or their character.

The word is also used in a religious context in a more specific way to refer to a spiritual gift or a special ability for leadership. This sense of the word is sometimes seen as charism, and can be pluralized as charismata.

Example: People like a candidate who’s got charisma and can get them excited, not someone who just drones on about facts and figures.