characteristic

[ kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik ]

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

noun

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. Compare mantissa.
   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

/ 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

adjective

1. indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical

characteristic

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˌcharacterˈistically, adverb

Other Words From

• char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly adverb
• non·char·ac·ter·is·tic adjective
• non·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly adverb
• qua·si-char·ac·ter·is·tic adjective
• qua·si-char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly adverb
• un·char·ac·ter·is·tic adjective
• un·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of characteristic¹

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

Synonym Study

See feature.

Example Sentences

With this context, it is unsurprising that 1 out of 8 women say they have voted differently from their husbands without telling them, with Trump supporters responding with characteristic rage.

From Salon

“The key characteristic is a decline in the Democratic vote, not an increase in the Republican, suggesting that Democrats were unable to reassemble the winning coalition from 2020.”

From Salon

No, I do, and I would point out another characteristic of the profession that's a problem, and it goes to this point of every interviewer trying to impress other people in their field.

From Salon

When I met Bal years ago in his studio, his characteristic flamboyance was evident in dazzling neon coloured silks embellished with intricate embroidery; sleek blouses and skirts along with taffeta skirts and netted blouses, in bright, warm and cool colours.

From BBC

Such had been a defining characteristic of these Dodgers throughout the season.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• distinctive
• idiosyncratic
• innate
• peculiar
• singular
• unique