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characteristic

If something is a characteristic of someone or something, it is a feature you would expect. A characteristic of classical-style architecture is large stone columns. A characteristic of poodles is their pom-pom like tails.

A characteristic feature needn't just be a something physically apparent, it can describe a type of personality or atmosphere as well, as in: "The characteristic of all funeral homes is their gloomy air." As their spelling and meaning implies, there is a close link between the words characteristic and character, meaning the essential nature of a thing, and in fact both words come from the ancient Greek kharackter, meaning a "symbol or imprint on the soul."

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: characteristic

1	adj n	typical or distinctive a prominent attribute or aspect of something
2	n	the integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression log 643 = 2.808 the characteristic is 2

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: characteristic

adj typical or distinctive

“heard my friend's characteristic laugh”

“red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn”

“stripes characteristic of the zebra”

Synonyms: diagnostic, symptomatic
characteristic or indicative of a disease; distinctive, typical
of a feature that helps to distinguish a person or thing; peculiar
characteristic of one only; distinctive or special; typical
exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category

Antonyms:: uncharacteristic
distinctive and not typical; atypical, untypical
not representative of a group, class, or type; show more antonyms...

n a prominent attribute or aspect of something

“generosity is one of his best characteristics”

Synonyms:: feature

Types:: show 20 types...; hide 20 types...; sex character, sex characteristic, sexual characteristic
those characteristics (both anatomical and psychological) that are strongly associated with one sex relative to the other; invariant
a feature (quantity or property or function) that remains unchanged when a particular transformation is applied to it; aspect, facet
a distinct feature or element in a problem; attracter, attraction, attractive feature, attractor, magnet
a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts; badge
any feature that is regarded as a sign of status (a particular power or quality or rank); centerpiece, centrepiece
the central or most important feature; contour
a feature (or the order or arrangement of features) of anything having a complex structure; excellence, excellency
an outstanding feature; something in which something or someone excels; external
outward features; distinctive feature, distinguishing characteristic, peculiarity
an odd or unusual characteristic; safety feature
feature of an artifact that is added to insure a user's safety; primary sex character, primary sex characteristic, primary sexual characteristic
the genetically determined sex characteristics bound up with reproduction (genitals and organs of reproduction); secondary sex character, secondary sex characteristic, secondary sexual characteristic
the genetically determined sex characteristics that are not functionally necessary for reproduction (pitch of the voice and body hair and musculature); virilism
the development of male secondary sexual characteristics in a female (or prematurely in a young boy); calling card
a distinguishing characteristic or behavior; side
an aspect of something (as contrasted with some other implied aspect); sector, sphere
a particular aspect of life or activity; surface
a superficial aspect as opposed to the real nature of something; attention
a general interest that leads people to want to know more; tourist attraction
a characteristic that attracts tourists

Type of:: attribute, dimension, property
a construct whereby objects or individuals can be distinguished

n a distinguishing quality

Types:: show 33 types...; hide 33 types...; passport, recommendation
any quality or characteristic that gains a person a favorable reception or acceptance or admission; compatibility
capability of existing or performing in harmonious or congenial combination; incompatibility
the quality of being unable to exist or work in congenial combination; point, spot
an outstanding characteristic; point
a distinguishing or individuating characteristic; earmark, hallmark, stylemark, trademark
a distinctive characteristic or attribute; saving grace
a redeeming quality or characteristic; aspect
a characteristic to be considered; safeness
the quality of being safe; dangerousness
the quality of not being safe; curability, curableness
capability of being cured or healed; incurability, incurableness
incapability of being cured or healed; directness, straightness
trueness of course toward a goal; indirectness
having the characteristic of lacking a true course toward a goal; robustness
the characteristic of being strong enough to withstand intellectual challenge; ruralism, rurality
a rural characteristic or trait; streak
a distinctive characteristic; congeniality, congenialness
compatibility between persons; harmoniousness, harmony
compatibility in opinion and action; accord
sympathetic compatibility; agreement, correspondence
compatibility of observations; conflict
an incompatibility of dates or events; incongruity, incongruousness
the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate; selling point
a characteristic of something that is up for sale that makes it attractive to potential customers; mold, mould
a distinctive nature, character, or type; precariousness
extreme dangerousness; downrightness, straightforwardness
the quality of being direct and straightforward; immediacy, immediateness
lack of an intervening or mediating agency; pointedness
the quality of being obviously directed at a particular person or thing; allusiveness
a quality characterized by indirect reference; mediacy, mediateness
the quality of being mediate; deviousness, obliqueness
the quality of being oblique and rambling indirectly; discursiveness
the quality of being discursive

Type of:: quality
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone

n any measurable property of a device measured under closely specified conditions

Synonyms:: device characteristic

Type of:: property
a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class

n the integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression log 643 = 2.808 the characteristic is 2

Type of:: integer, whole number
any of the natural numbers (positive or negative) or zero

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