characteristic

American  

[kar-ik-tuh-ris-tik] / ˌkær ɪk təˈrɪs tɪk /

adjective

1. Also characteristical. pertaining to, constituting, or indicating the character or peculiar quality of a person or thing; typical; distinctive.

   Red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn.

   Synonyms:

   peculiar, special

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noun

• characteristics
  plural

1. a distinguishing feature or quality.

   Generosity is his chief characteristic.

   Synonyms:

   trait, property, attribute

2. Mathematics.

   1. the integral part of a common logarithm.

   2. the exponent of 10 in a number expressed in scientific notation.

   3. the smallest positive integer n such that each element of a given ring added to itself n times results in 0.

characteristic British  

/ ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk /

noun

1. a distinguishing quality, attribute, or trait

2. maths

   1. the integral part of a common logarithm, indicating the order of magnitude of the associated number Compare mantissa

      the characteristic of 2.4771 is 2

   2. another name for exponent, used esp in number representation in computing

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adjective

1. indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical

characteristic Scientific  

/ kăr′ək-tə-rĭs′tĭk /

1. The part of a logarithm to the base 10 that is to the left of the decimal point. For example, if 2.749 is a logarithm, 2 is the characteristic.

2. Compare mantissa

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Synonym Usage

See feature.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncharacteristic
  adjective
• quasi-characteristic
  adjective
• uncharacteristic
  adjective
• characteristically
  adverb
• noncharacteristically
  adverb
• quasi-characteristically
  adverb
• uncharacteristically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• characteristics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of characteristic

First recorded in 1655–65; from Greek charaktēristikós ( see character, -istic)

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

characteristic characteristics

Then she saw on the monitor a characteristic “elbow” and realized that what she was seeing was much rarer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Mr. Bird’s descriptions of the city’s interlocking directorates and family connections are revealing, but such networks are wholly characteristic of most urban establishments in America and around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

"Although I haven't gone 12 rounds and I haven't taken one on the chin, I don't think that's a characteristic you need to become a heavyweight champion," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Their streamlined, fusiform bodies combined features characteristic of hexapods and insects with more primitive ancestral traits.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Right when I thought that I couldn’t stand another minute of this torture, Callaway showed up, his characteristic smile on his face.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

In the debate over the power and perils of AI agents, many of the characteristics that are supposed to make them dangerously intelligent are being glossed over.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

It is legal to hire based on looks as long as it isn’t tied to one of those protected characteristics, and physical attractiveness has always featured prominently in fashion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

By examining the magnetic characteristics of volcanic rocks in Colombia's Northern Andes, researchers found evidence that the main phases of collision took place earlier than previously believed, before about 10 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

As this happens, the cancer cells lose some of their glandular characteristics and begin adopting other cellular identities.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

“The fact that the white race has the same problems proves these are not Negro characteristics, but the product of our condition as men,” I said.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

Related Words

• aspect
• attribute
• component
• essence
• flavor
• nature
• peculiarity
• personality
• quality
• style
• symptom
• temperament
• tendency
• tone
• virtue