characteristic

American  

[kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik] / ˌkær ɪk təˈrɪs tɪk /

adjective

1. Also characteristical. pertaining to, constituting, or indicating the character or peculiar quality of a person or thing; typical; distinctive.

   Red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn.

   Synonyms:

   peculiar, special

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noun

• characteristics
  plural

1. a distinguishing feature or quality.

   Generosity is his chief characteristic.

   Synonyms:

   trait, property, attribute

2. Mathematics.

   1. the integral part of a common logarithm.

   2. the exponent of 10 in a number expressed in scientific notation.

   3. the smallest positive integer n such that each element of a given ring added to itself n times results in 0.

characteristic British  

/ ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk /

noun

1. a distinguishing quality, attribute, or trait

2. maths

   1. the integral part of a common logarithm, indicating the order of magnitude of the associated number Compare mantissa

      the characteristic of 2.4771 is 2

   2. another name for exponent, used esp in number representation in computing

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adjective

1. indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical

characteristic Scientific  

/ kăr′ək-tə-rĭs′tĭk /

1. The part of a logarithm to the base 10 that is to the left of the decimal point. For example, if 2.749 is a logarithm, 2 is the characteristic.

2. Compare mantissa

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Synonym Usage

See feature.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncharacteristic
  adjective
• quasi-characteristic
  adjective
• uncharacteristic
  adjective
• characteristically
  adverb
• noncharacteristically
  adverb
• quasi-characteristically
  adverb
• uncharacteristically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• characteristics
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of characteristic

First recorded in 1655–65; from Greek charaktēristikós ( see character, -istic)

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Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

characteristic characteristics

A key characteristic of Green SM is that it employs all its professional drivers as full-time, W-2-based employees, unlike Uber and Lyft’s gig-worker model.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

The Dodgers actually hit into three double plays Sunday — an entirely characteristic plot point for an older, slower team that hit into a league-leading 128 double plays this season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Rather than simply accompanying aging, the loss of Menin appeared capable of helping drive several of its characteristic changes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Hydrophobic compounds are substances that do not dissolve easily in water, a characteristic that can make certain medications difficult to formulate and deliver effectively.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

Livingston threw himself into his new task with characteristic single-mindedness, even training himself to operate the tube on some early patients.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Even after extensive laboratory expansion, the GMPs maintained the molecular characteristics that defined them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Scharp identified eight characteristics of estrangement, or areas in which adult children who are pulling away from their parents change their behaviors or feelings:

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

"By controlling the parameters of the laser, you can control the characteristics of the plasma filament -- including its length," says Darshni.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

The crew also conducted nutrition-focused research and examined how physical characteristics may affect blood flow during spaceflight to help keep astronauts safe and healthy on future missions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

“Apparently you display some Divergent characteristics and you don’t display others,” she says.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

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Related Words

• aspect
• attribute
• component
• essence
• flavor
• nature
• peculiarity
• personality
• quality
• style
• symptom
• temperament
• tendency
• tone
• virtue

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