hallmark

noun hall·mark \ ˈhȯl-ˌmärk \

|Updated on: 17 Aug 2018

Examples: hallmark in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Golden History of hallmark

Definition of hallmark

1 a : an official mark stamped on gold and silver articles in England to attest their purity

b : a mark or device placed or stamped on an article of trade to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness

a hallmark from the Ming dynasty

2 : a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature

the dramatic flourishes which are the hallmark of the trial lawyer
—Marion K. Sanders

See hallmark defined for English-language learners

See hallmark defined for kids

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Examples of hallmark in a Sentence

He had all the hallmarks of a great baseball player.
Humor is one of the hallmarks of her style.
The murder bore all the hallmarks of a serial killer's work.

Recent Examples of hallmark from the Web

Hopes of an enduring peace between the two Koreas remain riddled with suspicion of Mr. Kim’s sincerity about dismantling a decades-old nuclear program that has long been a hallmark of his family’s dynasty.

— New York Times, "Mattis, in South Korea, Affirms ‘Ironclad’ Alliance Despite Halt to Drills," 28 June 2018
Social media fluency is a hallmark of their movement.

— noah johnson, GQ, "Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Alyx Plot the Future of Menswear," 27 June 2018
Despite being a punchy lyricist, Fab's penchant for ladies tracks continues to be hallmark of his.

— carl lamarre, Billboard, "Fabolous & Ty Dolla $ign Team Up For Summer Banger 'Ooh Yea': Listen," 13 July 2018
That is the hallmark of Machine Learning, a subset of the greater definition of AI.

— andy patrizio, Ars Technica, "The AI revolution has spawned a new chips arms race," 9 July 2018
To those who make this argument, respectful disagreement has always been the hallmark of American discourse.

— jay willis, GQ, "Public Shaming Is Powerful," 25 June 2018
But they're made with the characteristic precision and craft that is the hallmark of the Japanese bar.

— Bon Appetit, "Bloody Angle," 19 Mar. 2018
Much like the Egg chair before it, this proved to be the hallmark of an instant classic.

— becca endicott, ELLE Decor, "The History Of The Louis Ghost Chair: 5 Things You Need To Know About Philippe Starck's Masterpiece," 19 Jan. 2018
Since the regulations call for discretion, clean/sculpted brows and a fresh face are the hallmark of every woman in uniform.

— samantha leal, Marie Claire, "6 Beauty Secrets from Military Women," 11 June 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hallmark.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Golden History of hallmark

Centuries ago, King Edward I of England decreed that gold and silver had to be tested and approved by master craftsmen before being sold. Later, London artisans were required to bring finished metal goods to Goldsmith's Hall to be checked, and if those items met the quality standards of the craft-masters there, they would be marked with a special stamp of approval. (The process is much the same today.) At first, people used hallmark to name that mark of excellence from Goldsmith's Hall, but over the years the word came to refer to any mark guaranteeing purity or genuineness, and eventually to name any sign of outstanding talent, creativity, or excellence.

Origin and Etymology of hallmark

Goldsmiths' Hall, London, England, where gold and silver articles were assayed and stamped

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1721

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

hallmark Synonyms

Synonyms

attribute, attribution, character, characteristic, criterion, differentia, feature, fingerprint, mark, marker, note, particularity, peculiarity, point, property, quality, specific, stamp, touch, trait;

Related Words

badge, indication, sign;

emblem, symbol, token;

charm, grace;

excellence, merit, virtue;

eccentricity, idiosyncrasy, oddity, quirk;

individuality, singularity, uniqueness;

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

hallmark

verb

Definition of hallmark

hallmarked; hallmarking; hallmarks

transitive verb

: to stamp with a mark that indicates origin, purity, or genuineness : to stamp with a hallmark (see ¹hallmark)

Recent Examples of hallmark from the Web

Despite a season hallmarked by miscommunication between the player’s camp and the Spurs, Leonard and Popovich maintained a solid — albeit often long-distance — relationship.

— jeff mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "Where will Kawhi play next season, and other burning Spurs questions?," 28 Apr. 2018
The inside linebacker blitzes that have long hallmarked Pittsburgh’s scheme also remain.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "The Pittsburgh Steelers Might Have the Best Defense in the AFC," 20 Sep. 2017
The driving idea behind the projects has been to embed the cooperative multiplayer experience within the company’s hallmark open-world games.

— gieson cacho, The Mercury News, "Review: ‘Ghost Recon: Wildlands’ — flawed but deep open-world shooter," 7 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of hallmark

see ¹hallmark

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1773

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

HALLMARK Defined for English Language Learners

hallmark

noun

Definition of hallmark for English Language Learners

: a quality, ability, etc., that is typical of a particular person or thing
: an official mark that is put on gold and silver objects in Britain to indicate their purity