as in characteristics
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind
honesty is one of her defining traits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 traits
Shoddy-Mushroom-8456/Shoddy-Mushroom-8456 Others thought Bella could be a Goldador—a popular cross between a golden retriever and a Labrador retriever, combining the traits of both breeds.
—
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
As such, there are certain similarities with erring politicians who some believe become undone by a mixture of various traits that tends not to exist in the wider population.
—Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
To survive a ruthless winnowing—to go from one of about 16,000 high-school quarterbacks each year to one of the 10 good ones in the NFL to one of the three or so each generation who earn the Hall of Fame’s gold jacket—hones certain traits within them and strips others away.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Those traits can make plays happen.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Fifth graders learned about genetics by building dinosaurs and their offspring with Lego blocks, identifying shared traits.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
La'An, meanwhile, starts to exhibit the dictatorial traits of the warmongering Romulans, who — unbeknown to most of the Federation — split off from the Vulcans to go their own way a few millennia previously.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Most of the traits that are good, like being conscientious and agreeable are also cool, but in different capacities.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Using high-resolution scans of the child’s cranium and jaw, scientists now propose that the individual possessed anatomical traits of both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
As such, there are certain similarities with erring politicians who some believe become undone by a mixture of various traits that tends not to exist in the wider population.
—Roger Trapp, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
To survive a ruthless winnowing—to go from one of about 16,000 high-school quarterbacks each year to one of the 10 good ones in the NFL to one of the three or so each generation who earn the Hall of Fame’s gold jacket—hones certain traits within them and strips others away.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Those traits can make plays happen.
—Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Fifth graders learned about genetics by building dinosaurs and their offspring with Lego blocks, identifying shared traits.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
La'An, meanwhile, starts to exhibit the dictatorial traits of the warmongering Romulans, who — unbeknown to most of the Federation — split off from the Vulcans to go their own way a few millennia previously.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Most of the traits that are good, like being conscientious and agreeable are also cool, but in different capacities.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Using high-resolution scans of the child’s cranium and jaw, scientists now propose that the individual possessed anatomical traits of both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for traits
Noun
-
Mastantuono, 18, has the characteristics to contribute from a deeper position, but his signing was intended for more attacking areas, as is being seen.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Experts highlighted its clean aerodynamic profile and radar-evading shape, which suggest stealth characteristics comparable to leading US designs.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The bag was available in limited qualities at Dover Street Market in London.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Sep. 2025
-
And by the way, these are all qualities Mark Ruffalo has.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Ditto for Prana’s fleece offering, which ranges from the DreamFleece collection for everyday wear to the Shea Soft, which offers more performance attributes.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The company said the quick-turnaround carousel layout allows consumers in search of an item to compare product attributes in real time, without having to click into product description pages displayed in a typical list.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Hue Secure Doorbell has some typical features for the category, including a 2K fisheye camera and two-way talk support.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The goal is to allow the fire to meet the holding features at the lowest possible fire intensity.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share