characteristic

characteristic — noun

1. A quality or feature that naturally belongs to a particular person, thing, or gr

1.nounB2
Definition

A quality or feature that naturally belongs to a particular person, thing, or group and helps make them recognizable for what they are.

Example

Theo's most noticeable characteristic is his endless curiosity about how machines work.

possessive + characteristic — describing a person's defining quality

One characteristic of Mediterranean architecture is the use of white walls and terracotta roof tiles.

Common collocations
  • defining characteristic
  • key characteristic
  • shared characteristic
  • distinguishing characteristic
  • physical characteristic
  • inherited characteristic
  • genetic characteristic
  • common characteristic
Synonyms
  • trait

    more personal or inherited, especially of personality

  • feature

    emphasizes a prominent or design-related aspect

  • attribute

    more abstract or assigned, common in technical contexts

  • quality

    broader, often with positive connotation

Grammar Patterns

characteristic + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often followed by 'of' to indicate who or what the quality belongs to. The noun is neutral — it does not carry a positive or negative judgment by itself.

Common Mistakes

Honesty is one of her good characteristics.
Honesty is one of her good qualities.
'characteristic' is neutral and describes what defines something; use 'quality' for positive evaluation.
The characteristic of this car is fast.
A characteristic of this car is its speed.
'characteristic' should be followed by a noun phrase, not an adjective.

characteristic — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A 'characteristic' is a typical quality that helps define or identify someone or something; it is neutral and often used for classifying or describing an entire category ('a genetic characteristic of this species'). A 'trait' is more specific to personality or inherited features, often suggesting something stable and enduring ('honesty is a rare trait'). A 'feature' is a prominent or noticeable part, frequently physical or design-related — you talk about a phone's features, not its characteristics. An 'attribute' is an abstract quality assigned to a person or object in technical or analytical contexts ('leadership is a key attribute for the role'). A 'quality' is the broadest term and often carries positive evaluation ('she has many fine qualities'). In practice: use 'characteristic' when describing what defines something; 'trait' for personal habits; 'feature' for noticeable parts; 'attribute' for assigned properties; and 'quality' when evaluating.

trait ↗feature ↗attribute ↗quality ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have the characteristics of
  • share a characteristic with
  • be characteristic of

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'characteristic' comes from Greek 'kharaktēr', which originally meant an engraving tool or a distinctive mark pressed into a surface. The idea of a 'distinctive mark' shifted into 'distinctive quality' over time. The word passed into Latin as 'characteristicus', then through French 'caractéristique', and entered English in the mid-1600s, first as a noun referring to a distinguishing mark and later as an adjective.