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
Researchers from Fukushima University and Hirosaki University analyzed DNA samples from the mutant animals and discovered that the offspring inherited key reproductive traits from domestic pigs.
—
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026
The Lego form allows other versions of these characters to be brought together and for their unifying personality and traits to come out.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 22 May 2026
Critically, these associations held even after controlling for cognitive ability and standard personality traits.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
That is especially true of the right of publicity, with NIL as a subset—this right forbids misappropriation of a person’s unique and marketable qualities, including their NIL, signature, voice, nickname or myriad other identifying traits of commercial value.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 May 2026
GMOs are engineered for specific traits, such as disease resistance or longer shelf lives.
—Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 May 2026
More to Explore The researchers found that faces that were rated as more attractive were rated more highly across all positive traits—not just competence, but intelligence, responsibility, and other traits—and were rated lower on all negative traits.
—Ben Ambridge, JSTOR Daily, 15 May 2026
Nagatitan belonged to a subgroup of sauropods that possessed bones with lots of internal air sacs and thin walls, traits that lightened their skeletons.
—Reuters, NBC news, 15 May 2026
As environments become more complex and information-dense, Performance may not be fully explained by individual traits alone and can also reflect broader systemic factors.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026
The Lego form allows other versions of these characters to be brought together and for their unifying personality and traits to come out.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 22 May 2026
Critically, these associations held even after controlling for cognitive ability and standard personality traits.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
That is especially true of the right of publicity, with NIL as a subset—this right forbids misappropriation of a person’s unique and marketable qualities, including their NIL, signature, voice, nickname or myriad other identifying traits of commercial value.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 May 2026
GMOs are engineered for specific traits, such as disease resistance or longer shelf lives.
—Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 May 2026
More to Explore The researchers found that faces that were rated as more attractive were rated more highly across all positive traits—not just competence, but intelligence, responsibility, and other traits—and were rated lower on all negative traits.
—Ben Ambridge, JSTOR Daily, 15 May 2026
Nagatitan belonged to a subgroup of sauropods that possessed bones with lots of internal air sacs and thin walls, traits that lightened their skeletons.
—Reuters, NBC news, 15 May 2026
As environments become more complex and information-dense, Performance may not be fully explained by individual traits alone and can also reflect broader systemic factors.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traits
Noun
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For decades, scientists debated whether these characteristics were primitive leftovers or later evolutionary reversals and this new research leans toward the first explanation.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
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Each type of light fixture forms the same general structure, but with individual characteristics informed by the mercurial nature of glass.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Benefits of Almonds for Heart Health While combining dark chocolate and almonds has a positive impact on heart health, each food provides distinct cardioprotective qualities that contribute to these benefits.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
14 May 2026
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The juries will hate its repetitive qualities, but the public will embrace its deep, profound, abiding grooviness.—
Glen Weldon,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Noun
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The fabric itself feels thick and slightly suctioning, working with the body rather than suppressing your best attributes.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
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To come up with its list, World Atlas evaluated towns across the country for attributes such as friendly locals, high community spirit, local institutions (such as staple neighborhood restaurants), and special events, singling out a dozen for their welcoming vibes.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
18 May 2026
Noun
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Rather than targeting flavors, the FDA said its new enforcement approach will focus on vapes with specific youth-appealing features, such as designs that resemble children’s toys.—
Matthew Perrone,
Fortune,
23 May 2026
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They're designed with races in mind and lack many safety features that come with passenger cars built by automakers for typical driving.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
23 May 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 25 May. 2026.
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