Perhaps character's dismay befitting? (5)
I believe the answer is:
maybe
'perhaps' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'character's dismay befitting?' is the wordplay.
'character's' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue (I've seen 'characters' mean this (some letters or characters from the clue)).
'MAYBE' is hidden in the letters of 'dismay befitting'.
(Other definitions for maybe that I've seen before include "Perhaps, possibly" , "Perhaps, might happen" .)