CHARACTERISTIC Synonyms: 149 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'characteristic' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of characteristic are distinctive , individual , and peculiar . While all these words mean "indicating a special quality or identity," characteristic applies to something that distinguishes or identifies a person or thing or class. // responded with her characteristic wit

Q: When could 'distinctive' be used to replace 'characteristic'?

While in some cases nearly identical to characteristic , distinctive indicates qualities distinguishing and uncommon and often superior or praiseworthy. // a distinctive aura of grace and elegance

Q: When can 'individual' be used instead of 'characteristic'?

Although the words individual and characteristic have much in common, individual stresses qualities that distinguish one from all other members of the same kind or class. // a highly individual writing style

Q: When might 'peculiar' be a better fit than 'characteristic'?

The meanings of peculiar and characteristic largely overlap; however, peculiar applies to qualities possessed only by a particular individual or class or kind and stresses rarity or uniqueness. // an eccentricity that is peculiar to the British

characteristic 1 of 2

noun

ˌker-ik-tə-ˈri-stik

Definition of characteristic

as in trait

something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind the ability to fashion tools and other characteristics that distinguish human beings from other animals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

characteristic

2 of 2

adjective

as in distinctive

serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group the characteristic taste of licorice

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in typical

having or showing the qualities associated with the members of a particular group or kind the characteristic wit and good-naturedness of the Irish

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective characteristic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of characteristic are distinctive, individual, and peculiar. While all these words mean "indicating a special quality or identity," characteristic applies to something that distinguishes or identifies a person or thing or class.

responded with her characteristic wit

When could distinctive be used to replace characteristic?

While in some cases nearly identical to characteristic, distinctive indicates qualities distinguishing and uncommon and often superior or praiseworthy.

a distinctive aura of grace and elegance

When can individual be used instead of characteristic?

Although the words individual and characteristic have much in common, individual stresses qualities that distinguish one from all other members of the same kind or class.

a highly individual writing style

When might peculiar be a better fit than characteristic?

The meanings of peculiar and characteristic largely overlap; however, peculiar applies to qualities possessed only by a particular individual or class or kind and stresses rarity or uniqueness.

an eccentricity that is peculiar to the British

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of characteristic

Noun

The database can be filtered by gender, region, size and other characteristics, providing a more detailed view of the populations brands are designing for. — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 Such responsibilities and characteristics demand careful and transparent elections that are in strict compliance with Florida law and associations’ own governing documents. — Gary M. Mars, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Adjective

Trump’s quarter millennial—featuring overt buffoonery and historic grifting as neighbors—was characteristic of his two presidencies. — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 12 Oct. 2026 The Dodgers actually hit into three double plays Sunday — an entirely characteristic plot point for an older, slower team that hit into a league-leading 128 double plays this season. — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for characteristic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for characteristic

Noun

Warhound wants to improve canine health and longevity alongside traits such as speed, agility, and scent detection.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
With Carr, his average physical traits (by NFL QB standards) give pause for thought.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of trait

Adjective

That includes colorblock styling, chunky knobs and physical controls, and simple shapes that make each device memorable and distinctive.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
The person buried there is believed to have belonged to the Linear Pottery culture — named for the distinctive spiral and wavy patterns decorating its pottery.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of distinctive

Adjective

Minutes from the April 19 meeting outlined how the government opted for just one round of readiness checks before launching its emergency vaccination program due to time constraints, instead of the typical four rounds.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Such moves are typical of presidential hopefuls from both parties seeking to bolster their alliances nationwide.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of typical

Noun

Social media giant Meta was hit with a class action lawsuit in Australia on behalf of children and teenagers who allegedly suffered harm over the addictive design features and exposure to harmful content on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
While the iPhone Duo’s software certainly felt much smoother and more fluid than Android alternatives, many of its core features have been available on Samsung or Google phones for years.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of feature

Adjective

Researchers identified distinct activity patterns in the brain’s dorsal regions that directly correlate with social dominance through the observation of freely interacting mice.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Nevertheless, analysts caution that evaluating the deal requires assessing whether the combined entity can generate distinct operational synergies and unlock long term expansion potential.

— , CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of distinct

Adjective

With stimulus checks gone and student loan payments back, Maggiulli suggests the drop may partly be a return to normal.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
In both cases, people with pre-existing hypertension experienced bigger drops in systolic and diastolic pressure than those with normal blood pressure.

— MD Published, Verywell Health, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of normal

Noun

The issue ultimately comes down to credibility, an essential attribute for any press secretary.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
The report was published right before shootings in Bloomington, Eden Prairie and Edina that local law enforcement attribute to Somali gang violence.

— Conor Wight, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of attribute

Adjective

Those changes seem to be linked to metabolic shifts, among them reductions in the load of glucose, the body’s standard fuel, which is produced mostly from carbohydrates.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Politics, as was still possible on plenty of stages a decade and a half ago, is the spice added to the deeply standard meat and potatoes of its structure.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of standard

Browse Nearby Words

charactering

characteristic

characteristics

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Style

“Characteristic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characteristic. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of characteristic

noun

adjective

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