hallmark

noun hall·mark \ ˈhȯl-ˌmärk \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 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

hallmark was our Word of the Day on 03/26/2013. Hear the podcast!

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

Plein air painters from throughout the region will be stationed around the grounds, capturing the beauty of the setting with paint and canvas, and representing the merger of art and nature that has been a hallmark of I-Park's residency program.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Colchester Edition," 29 May 2018
Unexpected twists are a hallmark of Chinchilla’s life.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Johnny Chinchilla: immigrant, veteran, cancer survivor, single father and, now, college grad," 27 May 2018
California’s homeless crisis demands bold leadership and big ideas that are a hallmark of Gavin’s leadership.

— heather knight, San Francisco Chronicle, "Gavin Newsom’s lively term as SF mayor offers clues to how he’d lead state," 25 May 2018
The obsessive meticulousness of Albright's technique is a hallmark of his work.

— dmitry samarov, Chicago Reader, "Ivan Albright’s meticulous attention to the human body continues to be an inspiration to young artists," 18 May 2018
The challenge of using MoviePass to actually see a movie has already been a hallmark of the MoviePass experience.

— kyle stock, Bloomberg.com, "How Two Million People Loved MoviePass Nearly to Death," 16 May 2018
Which is a hallmark of Lee’s filmmaking at its best, how his exuberant need to communicate, lecture, and prod births films erratic in tone but powerful in their clamor and strong sense of purpose.

— richard lawson, HWD, "In Spike Lee’s Invigorating BlacKkKlansman, the Real Joke Is on Us," 14 May 2018
There’s no reason to cling to relics of the past when innovation is a hallmark of our national identity.

— nathan sproul, Fortune, "How Relying on Oil Makes Us More Vulnerable to Cyberattacks," 10 May 2018
This is an early example of what would become a hallmark of Peterson’s approach as a public intellectual — taking inflammatory, somewhat misinformed stances on issues of public concern outside his area of expertise.

— zack beauchamp, Vox, "Jordan Peterson, the obscure Canadian psychologist turned right-wing celebrity, explained," 21 May 2018

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