as in characteristics
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind
honesty is one of her defining traits
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Recent Examples of traits
The competing hypotheses, which seek to identify common traits between Little Foot and any of these species, highlight why the fossil continues to be such a rich resource of information that could contain clues to human evolution.
—
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
This late in the draft, the Colts — like pretty much every team — are swinging on traits.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Most new species are still identified by visible traits, Wiens noted.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
That mismatch was illustrated in a 2024 study that found striking differences between teachers and parents’ perceptions of autism traits — things like having trouble interpreting body language or understanding social mores.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
Artists help parents identify their childrens' personality traits and habits to create a unique lullaby.
—Madeline Montgomery, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Hybrid fruit trees are created by cross-pollinating two different types of fruit trees to produce a new variety that combines traits from each parent tree.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 27 Feb. 2026
Participants then rated that person on traits such as warmth, competence, morality, and authenticity.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
While his raw athletic traits are impressive, scouts will closely watch his positional drills to see if his functional agility matches his testing numbers.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026
This late in the draft, the Colts — like pretty much every team — are swinging on traits.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Most new species are still identified by visible traits, Wiens noted.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
That mismatch was illustrated in a 2024 study that found striking differences between teachers and parents’ perceptions of autism traits — things like having trouble interpreting body language or understanding social mores.
—Lisa Jarvis, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
Artists help parents identify their childrens' personality traits and habits to create a unique lullaby.
—Madeline Montgomery, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Hybrid fruit trees are created by cross-pollinating two different types of fruit trees to produce a new variety that combines traits from each parent tree.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 27 Feb. 2026
Participants then rated that person on traits such as warmth, competence, morality, and authenticity.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
While his raw athletic traits are impressive, scouts will closely watch his positional drills to see if his functional agility matches his testing numbers.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traits
Noun
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The motion to disqualify Robinson, at this point an allegation, touches upon one of the defining characteristics of the Supreme Court — that discussions among judges when deliberating over decisions are confidential.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
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Every building has distinguishing characteristics.—
Allen Buchanan,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Below, designers share how to make a staircase look timeless and design-forward—plus the qualities that can make a staircase look quickly dated.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
3 Mar. 2026
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Many of the qualities required to be a phenomenal investor are present in AI, which can absorb endless data, recognize historical patterns, and operate entirely free of human greed, fear, or fads.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Luckily for investigators, the plant has some appropriately spooky attributes.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
5 Mar. 2026
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Individual results may vary depending on patient-specific attributes and other factors.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These Rains cargo pants are a genius way to stay dry in style on a wet, chilly day, with a waterproof exterior, plus useful features like a comfortable drawstring waist and large rain-safe pockets.—
Alexandra Pereira,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Perhaps Little Foot’s lineage was more closely related to East African hominins, while South African hominins evolved distinct facial features later on, the authors wrote in the study.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Political discussions on social media are often dominated by competing attributions of more and more insidious motives to people on the other side.—
Mark Schroeder,
The Conversation,
20 Feb. 2026
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This post was corrected on 21 January 2021 to clarify attributions.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Jan. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Traits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/traits. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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