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char·ac·ter·is·tic | \ ˌker-ik-tə-ˈri-stik 
, ˌka-rik- \
, ˌka-rik- \Definition of characteristic
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a distinguishing trait, quality, or property
the characteristics of this breed of dog
2 : the integral part of a common logarithm
3 : the smallest positive integer n which for an operation in a ring or field yields 0 when any element is used n times with the operation
characteristic
adjectiveDefinition of characteristic (Entry 2 of 2)
: revealing, distinguishing, or typical of an individual character a poetic style characteristic of the epic
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Other Words from characteristic
Adjective
characteristically \ ˌker-ik-tə-ˈri-sti-k(ə-)lē , ˌka-rik- \ adverb
, ˌka-rik- \ adverbSynonyms & Antonyms for characteristic
Synonyms: Noun
- affection,
- attribute,
- attribution,
- character,
- criterion,
- diagnostic,
- differentia,
- feature,
- fingerprint,
- hallmark,
- mark,
- marker,
- note,
- particularity,
- peculiarity,
- point,
- property,
- quality,
- specific,
- stamp,
- touch,
- trait
Synonyms: Adjective
- classic,
- diagnostic
- (also diagnostical),
- discriminating,
- distinct,
- distinctive,
- distinguishing,
- identifying,
- individual,
- peculiar,
- proper,
- symptomatic,
- typical
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of characteristic in a Sentence
Noun
the ability to fashion tools and other characteristics that distinguish human beings from other animals Adjective
He responded to their comments with characteristic good humor.
the characteristic taste of licorice
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The most impactful characteristic of La Niña in North America is its role in hurricane season.
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Judson Jones And Virginia Langmaid, CNN, "NOAA issues a La Niña watch, the impetus for an active hurricane season," 9 July 2020 Only the drivetrain's tendency to buck in its soft rubber mounts under a less than sensitive throttle foot (a characteristic shared with the Civic and Accord) undercuts its wonderfulness.
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Michael Jordan, Car and Driver, "Tested: 1982 Honda City Makes a Case for Minicars in America," 9 July 2020 That’s especially true if patients don’t have the bullseye rash— known medically as erythema migrans—characteristic of Lyme disease.
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Carrie Arnold, Popular Science, "COVID-19 testing problems are all too familiar to Lyme disease patients," 28 June 2020 What is the catalyzing characteristic that draws Lithgow to a role?
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Dan Snierson, EW.com, "John Lithgow reveals the roles that fans most recognize him for," 28 June 2020 The first is agency, a characteristic of the main character in your story (which is you).
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Kristen Rogers, CNN, "If losing your job to the pandemic destroyed your identity, here's how to find it," 18 June 2020 But Democrats who have watched Biden’s VP process say neither woman seems to have eclipsed Harris in Biden’s single most-important characteristic for running mate, ability to step into the job of president on Day One.
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Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg.com, "Kamala Harris Is on Strong Footing in Biden’s Vice Presidential Search," 15 June 2020 Quality seems to be a prominent characteristic of Lovello Elizabeth.
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Jamila Stewart, Essence, "Lovello Elizabeth Is The Go-To For Minimalistic Loungewear," 9 June 2020 The desire and need to work is a defining characteristic of trade school graduates, according to Dr. Joe May, Chancellor of Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD).
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Cara Korte, CBS News, "Ready to work, trade school students face adversity during COVID pandemic," 4 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor.
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Travel + Leisure, "Methodology: How We Conduct the World’s Best Awards 2020," 8 July 2020 The fiery, cautionary shade, little seen within living rooms, is characteristic of his work as a whole, which often has an almost defiantly undomestic feel.
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New York Times, "A Designer Who Makes Rugs Based on Screenshots," 7 July 2020 An emphasis for the A’s in this short season is avoiding what has become a characteristic slow start.
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Matt Kawahara, SFChronicle.com, "A’s 2020 schedule: Five things to watch," 6 July 2020 Crackdowns like these, so characteristic of the past month of protests, evoke what happened in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn: a riot against police harassment.
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Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Pride Can’t Go Back to What It Was Before," 30 June 2020 In characteristic style, Mr. Trump backed his preference for bilateral trade deals over multilateral affairs with a threat – to veto all nominations to the seven-judge appellate body and thus disarm it.
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Peter Ford, The Christian Science Monitor, "Power shift: How America’s retreat is reshaping global affairs," 26 June 2020 During this moment of devastation and uncertainty and horror, our characteristic American patriotism has (finally) expanded to include our health care system.
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Daniel Barron, Scientific American, "Health Care Workers Don't Want to Be Heroes," 21 June 2020 Told with Yates's characteristic irreverence and wit, interspersed with the words of others who were there, Cannonball!
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Colin Beresford, Car and Driver, "Eight Books Every Auto Enthusiast Should Read, and One for the Kids," 20 June 2020 Wolff, with his characteristic go-for-broke swagger, took a shot.
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Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Garcia: Wolff calls Abbott’s bluff on mask regulations," 19 June 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'characteristic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for characteristic
characteristic
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of characteristic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a special quality or trait that makes a person, thing, or group different from others
characteristic
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of characteristic (Entry 2 of 2)
: typical of a person, thing, or group : showing the special qualities or traits of a person, thing, or group
See the full definition for characteristic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
characteristic
nounchar·ac·ter·is·tic | \ ˌker-ək-tə-ˈri-stik \
\Kids Definition of characteristic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a special quality or appearance that makes an individual or a group different from others
physical characteristics Gentleness is a characteristic of this dog breed.
characteristic
adjectiveKids Definition of characteristic (Entry 2 of 2)
: serving to distinguish an individual or a group : typical of a person, thing, or group
He replied with characteristic good humor.
characteristic
adjectivechar·ac·ter·is·tic | \ ˌkar-ik-tə-ˈris-tik \
\Medical Definition of characteristic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: serving to reveal and distinguish the individual character
Other Words from characteristic
characteristically \ -ti-k(ə-)lē \ adverb
\ adverbcharacteristic
nounMedical Definition of characteristic (Entry 2 of 2)
: a distinguishing trait, quality, or property
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Time Traveler for characteristic
The first known use of characteristic was in 1646
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