quality

[ kwol-i-tee ]

noun

, plural qual·i·ties.

1. an essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute:

   the chemical qualities of alcohol.

   Synonyms: feature, character, trait

2. character or nature, as belonging to or distinguishing a thing:

   the quality of a sound.

3. character with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence:

   food of poor quality; silks of fine quality.

   Synonyms: condition, sort, grade, kind, nature

4. high grade; superiority; excellence:

   wood grain of quality.

5. a personality or character trait:

   kindness is one of her many good qualities.

6. native excellence or superiority.
7. an accomplishment or attainment.
8. good or high social position:

   a man of quality.

9. the superiority or distinction associated with high social position.
10. Acoustics. the texture of a tone, dependent on its overtone content, that distinguishes it from others of the same pitch and loudness.
11. Phonetics. the tonal color, or timbre, that characterizes a particular vowel sound.
12. Logic. the character of a proposition as affirmative or negative.
13. Thermodynamics. the proportion or percentage of vapor in a mixture of liquid and vapor, as wet steam.
14. social status or position.
15. a person of high social position:

    He's quality, that one is.

adjective

1. of or having superior quality:

   quality paper.

2. producing or providing products or services of high quality or merit:

   a quality publisher.

3. of or occupying high social status:

   a quality family.

4. marked by a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, or commitment:

   Counselors are urging that working parents try to spend more quality time with their children.

quality

/ ˈkwɒlɪtɪ /

noun

1. a distinguishing characteristic, property, or attribute
2. the basic character or nature of something
3. a trait or feature of personality
4. degree or standard of excellence, esp a high standard
5. (formerly) high social status or the distinction associated with it
6. musical tone colour; timbre
7. logic the characteristic of a proposition that is dependent on whether it is affirmative or negative
8. phonetics the distinctive character of a vowel, determined by the configuration of the mouth, tongue, etc, when it is articulated and distinguished from the pitch and stress with which it is uttered
9. modifier having or showing excellence or superiority

   a quality product

Other Words From

• quali·ty·less adjective
• non·quali·ty noun plural nonqualities
• sub·quali·ty noun plural subqualities

Word History and Origins

Origin of quality¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English qualite, from Old French, from Latin quālitās, equivalent to quāl(is) “of what sort” + -itās -ity

Word History and Origins

Origin of quality¹

C13: from Old French qualité, from Latin quālitās state, nature, from quālis of what sort

Synonym Study

Quality, attribute, property agree in meaning a particular characteristic (of a person or thing). A quality is a characteristic, innate or acquired, that, in some particular, determines the nature and behavior of a person or thing: naturalness as a quality; the quality of meat. An attribute was originally a quality attributed, usually to a person or something personified; more recently it has meant a fundamental or innate characteristic: an attribute of God; attributes of a logical mind. Property applies only to things; it means a characteristic belonging specifically in the constitution of, or found (invariably) in, the behavior of a thing: physical properties of uranium or of limestone.

Example Sentences

But, what’s causing them to wither and die—is it the water quality?

From Slate

Some experts say the age and quality of the diamonds in the necklace sold on Wednesday point to a match with the originals.

From BBC

At age 76, four decades removed from his formative turn as Sam Malone in “Cheers,” Danson was intrigued by what “A Man on the Inside” attempts to unpack: that older people still have plenty more to contribute to the world and derive a better quality of life through such a sense of belonging.

From Los Angeles Times

They said allowing apartment buildings in their neighborhoods would reduce opportunities for homeownership and decrease their quality of life by adding more traffic.

From Los Angeles Times

"England come off two narrow defeats, but the quality of their performances was good in both matches, so we know the size of the challenge," he added.

From BBC

Related Words

• excellent
• exceptional
• fabulous
• fantastic
• good
• great
• incomparable
• outstanding
• superb
• superior
• very good
• wonderful