characteristic

/ˌˈkɛr(ə)ktəˌrɪstɪk/

/kærəktəˈrɪstɪk/

Other forms: characteristics

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."

Definitions of characteristic

1. adjective

   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
2. noun

   a prominent attribute or aspect of something
   “generosity is one of his best characteristics”

   synonyms: feature

   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
3. noun

   a distinguishing quality
   synonyms: discriminant

   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
4. noun

   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
5. noun

   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 or their negatives or zero