The Ancient Greeks reduced character to four basic virtues, which remained its foundation until 1992.

FORBES: Character--8 Ways to Assess Leadership and Your Candidates

There's nothing mysterious about the Once-ler now reduced to stock character No. 14-B (young man eager to prove to his unloving mother that he can be a success).

WSJ: The Bad! Bad! Bad! Biggering of Dr. Seuss | Postmodern Times by Eric Felten

Will our world continue to be reduced (some may say progress) to 140 character bites of life, literature, and politics.

FORBES: The New Way Twitter Will Dominate Online Journalism

He added that the panel had decided 30 weeks was an appropriate punishment but reduced it to 26 "after taking into account his good character, youth and inexperience".

BBC: Saints withdraw Hartley's appeal

He said he had reduced the amount of time Wilkinson will serve in prison due to his guilty pleas, his character references and his work ethic.

BBC: South Shields father jailed after biting man's finger