characteristics

noun

plural of characteristic
as in qualities
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

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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 characteristics Its license plate readers capture plate numbers along with vehicle characteristics such as make, model and color, and some Flock systems can identify distinguishing features such as bumper stickers or aftermarket modifications. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 El Niño and La Niña are different phases of the same system—the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a large-scale climate pattern whose oceanic and atmospheric characteristics occur in and above the east-central Pacific Ocean. — John P. Rafferty, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2026 Grade, deposit size, continuity, depth, and metallurgical characteristics all affect whether ore can be processed efficiently. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 Lefty Will Dion fits those characteristics on the big-league roster. — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 The long-term difference could be dramatic The researchers also fed the characteristics of each driving style into a battery-aging model to estimate longer-term capacity loss. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026 Organizations that successfully operationalize AI in supply chain environments tend to share several common characteristics. — George Ninikas, Footwear News, 20 Aug. 2026 These characteristics force drivers to push their vehicles to their limits, which is why the Nordschleife is the track automakers send their highest-performance models to prove their mettle—including, on dozens of occasions, Porsche. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2026 Jack Reacher, protagonist of books by Lee Child and an ongoing Amazon drama, has several characteristics integral to his Jack Reacher-ness. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characteristics
  1. qualities
  2. traits
  3. attributes
  4. features
  5. attributions
  6. criteria
Noun
  • Both movies share more than a few qualities, notably the same love of infinite interzones and the same flavor of exponentially increasing existential dread.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Are there leadership qualities that have ascended in importance and others that have descended?
    — Steve Karp, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of qualities
Noun
  • These are potentially key traits for Emery this season, given the number of departures this summer, including Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa.
    — Aston Villa, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
  • While tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen may see empathy and introspection as weaknesses, those traits are the beating heart of literature and art, the wellspring of creativity and human connection.
    — Billy J. Stratton, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of traits
Noun
  • Craig’s physical attributes (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) jumped out on tape, and then as Sammis got to know him, his mental makeup stood out even more.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026
  • If an agent queries a legacy database to decide whether to trigger an outreach sequence or prioritize an account, a flat list of static attributes is fundamentally useless to its reasoning engine.
    — Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of attributes
Noun
  • The family also built features specifically for its youngest members.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • One of Brady’s favorite features is the retractable wall that can split the training room into two separate spaces.
    — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of features
Noun
  • In two cases, the publishers added specific attributions, as had been required of Miller’s book.
    — Jessica Meszaros, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The work has bounced between several attributions over the years before scholar Giuseppe Porzio identified it as a painting by Glielmo, giving bidders a fresh reason to take notice.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 June 2026
Definition of attributions
Noun
  • Last month, Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Gloria Romero issued a similar letter urging the UC Board of Regents to reinstate the SAT as part of UC admissions criteria.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Customer communication is one of the primary criteria enterprise clients are using to evaluate whether their logistics partner is keeping pace.
    — William Jones, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of criteria

Browse Nearby Words

characteristic
characteristics
characterize
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Cite this Entry

“Characteristics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characteristics. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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