trait

American  

[treyt, trey] / treɪt, treɪ /

noun

1. a distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature.

   bad traits of character.

   Synonyms:

   property, attribute, mark, peculiarity

2. a pen or pencil stroke.

3. a stroke, touch, or strain, as of some quality.

   a trait of pathos; a trait of ready wit.

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trait British  

/ treɪ, treɪt /

noun

1. a characteristic feature or quality distinguishing a particular person or thing

2. rare a touch or stroke

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trait Scientific  

/ trāt /

1. A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Traits may be physical, such as hair color or leaf shape, or they may be behavioral, such as nesting in birds and burrowing in rodents. Traits typically result from the combined action of several genes, though some traits are expressed by a single gene.

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Etymology

Origin of trait

First recorded in 1470–80; from Middle French: literally, “something drawn,” from Latin tractus; tract ¹

Explanation

A trait is something about you that makes you "you." When your mother says that you get all your best traits from her, she means you have the same charming smile and the same brilliant mind as she has. In science, trait refers to a characteristic that is caused by genetics. Having green eyes or being shorter than average are traits a person might have. In more general use, a trait is an important part of someone’s personality or appearance. Try to describe your favorite teacher in three words and you’ll probably come up with a list of her essential traits — such as compassionate, calm, and kooky.

Example Sentences

The researchers note that loneliness was treated as a fixed trait in this study.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

Many autistic people also have alexithymia, a trait that makes it exceptionally difficult to identify and describe emotions, and have been stymied by questions intended to assess their internal state.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

That’s because the hook of the hamate is a significant contributor to grip strength—an important trait for anybody attempting to hit a ball as far as possible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Now, despite being impressive physical specimens, there is one bald eagle trait that doesn’t live up to what you might have seen on television—the patented bald eagle scream.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

In a landmark paper written in 1897, entitled Hereditary Monstrosities, de Vries analyzed his data and inferred that each trait was governed by a single particle of information.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• attribute
• character
• feature
• habit
• idiosyncrasy
• manner
• oddity
• peculiarity
• quality
• quirk
• trick
• virtue