Meanings
nounfourth person (uncountable)
alternative 4th person
- uncountablegrammarA variety of the third person sometimes used for indefinite referents, such as one, as in one shouldn't do that.
- uncountablehuman sciencesgrammatical person in some languages distinct from first, second, and third persons, semantically translated by one of them in English. For example, in Ojibwe, it is a variety of the third person used for a secondary, or obviative, third person.
The man saw the dog as he was leaving. (if he is the third person, or proximate, it refers to the man; if he is the fourth person, or obviative, it refers to the dog)
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
Opposite
Translations
Bulgarian четвърто лице
- четвърто лице (četvărto lice)person distinct from first, second, and third persons
Dutch vierde persoon
- vierde persoonperson distinct from first, second, and third persons
French quatrième personne
- quatrième personneperson distinct from first, second, and third persons
Japanese 四人称
- 四人称person distinct from first, second, and third persons
Polish czwarta osoba
- czwarta osobaperson distinct from first, second, and third persons
Portuguese quarta pessoa
- quarta pessoaperson distinct from first, second, and third persons
Russian четвёртое лицо́
- четвёртое лицо́ (četvjórtoje licó)person distinct from first, second, and third persons
Spanish cuarta persona
- cuarta personaperson distinct from first, second, and third persons
Swedish fjärde person
- fjärde personperson distinct from first, second, and third persons
Vietnamese ngôi thứ tư
- ngôi thứ tưperson distinct from first, second, and third persons
Cite this entry
APA
fourth person. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fourth%20person
MLA
“fourth person.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fourth%20person. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fourth person,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fourth%20person.
Source: fourth person on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.