characteristic
[noun]
Synonyms:
- feature, attribute, faculty, idiosyncrasy, mark, peculiarity, property, quality, quirk, trait
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- typical, distinctive, distinguishing, idiosyncratic, individual, peculiar, representative, singular, special, symbolic, symptomatic

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Antonyms: uncharacteristic
Contrasted words: general, generic, universal
Related Words: especial, particular, special, specific, natural, normal, regular, typical, badge, mark, sign, token, flavor, odor, savor, smack, tang, differentia, singularity

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English Thesaurus: characteristic, quality, feature, property, attribute, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. char‧ac‧ter‧is‧tic¹ S3 W2 /ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk◂, ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk◂/ noun [countable usually plural]
[Word Family: noun: character, characteristic, characterization; adjective: characteristic ≠ uncharacteristic, characterless; verb: characterize; adverb: characteristically ≠ uncharacteristically]
a quality or feature of something or someone that is typical of them and easy to recognize
characteristic of
a baby discovering the physical characteristics of objects
defining/distinguishing characteristic (=one that separates someone or something from others of the same type)
Violent images are a defining characteristic of his work.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. characteristic² adjective
[Word Family: noun: character, characteristic, characterization; adjective: characteristic ≠ uncharacteristic, characterless; verb: characterize; adverb: characteristically ≠ uncharacteristically]
very typical of a particular thing or of someone’s character:
the highly characteristic (=very typical) flint walls of the local houses
characteristic of
the qualities that were characteristic of the Nixon administration
—characteristically /-kli/ adverb

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say typical rather than characteristic:
The building is typical of those in the area.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

characteristic
adj.
VERBS be | become
ADV. deeply, extremely, highly, very his highly characteristic features
entirely, utterly | fairly, quite
PREP. of a problem that was fairly characteristic of late eighteenth century society

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

characteristic
noun
ADJ. defining, distinctive, distinguishing, identifying, individual, marked, special, striking, unique | personal | common, family, inherited, national, shared | basic, general | chief, dominant, main, major, outstanding, principal | essential, fundamental, important, key, salient | desirable | behavioural, biological, cultural, demographic, economic, genetic, physical, psychological, racial, sexual, social | human
VERB + CHARACTERISTIC have The two species have several characteristics in common.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

characteristic

a physical characteristic
physical characteristics such as your height and weight
a personal characteristic (=relating to someone’s character)
What are the personal characteristics that a leader requires?
a human characteristic
The power of speech is an entirely human characteristic.
a national characteristic (=typical of the people of a country)
Organization is often seen as a German national characteristic.
the main characteristic of something
A new interest in art was one of the main characteristics of this period.
a common characteristic (=that people or things share)
Successful firms tend to have common characteristics.
a distinguishing/distinctive characteristic (=separating someone or something from others of the same type)
The blue feathers are the distinguishing characteristic of the male bird.
a defining characteristic (=one that is necessary in order to be a particular type of person or thing)
Originality is one of the defining characteristics of a great band.
an important/essential characteristic
An essential characteristic of good teaching is that it must create interest in the learner.
an inherited characteristic
Intelligence is an inherited characteristic.
a striking characteristic
Its canals are one of Amsterdam’s most striking characteristics.
have a characteristic (also possess a characteristic formal)
He has all the characteristics of a great husband.
show a characteristic (also exhibit a characteristic formal)
A material may exhibit the characteristics of both a liquid and a solid.
share a characteristic
The group shared one characteristic - they were all under 25.
inherit a characteristic (=get a characterstic from your parent)
We all inherit physical characteristics from our parents.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

characteristic something that is typical of someone or something and makes them easy to recognize:
He had several characteristics which made him different to the rest of his family.
the physical characteristics of the brain
He studied the special characteristics of adult speech addressed to children.
quality a characteristic of a person, especially a good one such as kindness or intelligence:
Tina has a lot of good qualities.
I’m not sure about his leadership qualities.
Obedience is a quality that my father admires.
feature an important or interesting characteristic of something:
it seems to be a feature of modern society that we tend to judge ourselves by our work above everything else.
A curious feature of the novel is the absence of women.
The building still has many of its original features.
property [usually plural] technical a characteristic of a substance or object, for example hardness or elasticity, or how it behaves - used especially in scientific contexts:
We examined the physical properties of various metals.
changes in the electrical properties of cells
Some plants have healing properties.
attribute formal a good or useful characteristic:
I suspected I probably did not quite possess all the attributes required to succeed at the highest level.
All living things are able to reproduce their kind, an attribute which no machine possesses..
good/bad points good or bad characteristics – used when someone or something has both good and bad characteristics:
The seller will obviously emphasize the car’s good points.
Draw up a list of your partner’s good and bad points.
typical a typical person or thing is a good example of that type of person or thing:
With his camera around his neck, he looked like a typical tourist.
The windows are typical of houses built during this period.
classic used to describe a very typical and very good example of something:
It was a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.
a classic mistake
The book is a classic example of great teamwork.
archetypal the archetypal person or thing is the most typical example of that kind of person or thing, and has all their most important qualities:
the archetypal English village
Indiana Jones is the archetypal adventure hero.
quintessential used when you want to emphasize that someone or something is the very best example of something – used especially when you admire them very much:
the quintessential guide to New York
Robert Plant is the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll singer.
stereotypical having the characteristics that many people believe a particular type of person or thing has – used when you think these beliefs are not true:
Hollywood films are full of stereotypical images of women as wives and mothers.
He challenges stereotypical ideas about people with disabilities.
representative containing the most common types of people or things that are found in something, and showing what it is usually like:
a representative sample of college students
be the epitome of something to be the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing or of a particular quality:
His house was thought to be the epitome of good taste.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

typical a typical person or thing is a good example of that type of person or thing:
With his camera around his neck, he looked like a typical tourist.
The windows are typical of houses built during this period.
classic used to describe a very typical and very good example of something:
It was a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.
a classic mistake
The book is a classic example of great teamwork.
archetypal the archetypal person or thing is the most typical example of that kind of person or thing, and has all their most important qualities:
the archetypal English village
Indiana Jones is the archetypal adventure hero.
quintessential used when you want to emphasize that someone or something is the very best example of something – used especially when you admire them very much:
the quintessential guide to New York
Robert Plant is the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll singer.
stereotypical having the characteristics that many people believe a particular type of person or thing has – used when you think these beliefs are not true:
Hollywood films are full of stereotypical images of women as wives and mothers.
He challenges stereotypical ideas about people with disabilities.
representative containing the most common types of people or things that are found in something, and showing what it is usually like:
a representative sample of college students
characteristic very typical of a particular type of thing, or of someone’s character or usual behaviour:
Each species of bird has its own characteristic song.
What gives Paris its characteristic charm?
He played with his characteristic skill.
the characteristic symptoms of the disease
be the epitome of something to be the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing or of a particular quality:
His house was thought to be the epitome of good taste.
politician someone who works in politics, especially an elected member of the government:
senior politicians
statesman a political or government leader, especially one who is well-respected:
a respected elder statesman
great statesmen like Roosevelt and Churchill
He would later describe the king as ‘one of the most brilliant statesmen I have ever been privileged to meet’.
MP/Member of Parliament in Britain, someone who has been elected to a parliament to represent people from a particular area of the country:
Ken Newton, MP
congressman a man who is a member of a congress, especially the US House of Representatives:
a Republican congressman
congresswoman a woman who is a member of a congress, especially the US House of Representatives:
Mrs McKinney was the state’s first black congresswoman.
senator a member of the senate, especially in the US:
Senator Clinton
mayor someone who has been elected to lead the government of a town or city:
Boris Johnson was elected Mayor of London.
the former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani
spin doctor someone who is used by a political party to influence people’s opinions by cleverly controlling what is reported in the news:
The party spin doctors would like us to believe that the government is committed to improving the environment.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲