quality
Americannoun
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qualities
plural
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an essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute.
the chemical qualities of alcohol.
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character or nature, as belonging to or distinguishing a thing.
the quality of a sound.
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character with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence.
food of poor quality; silks of fine quality.
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high grade; superiority; excellence.
wood grain of quality.
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a personality or character trait.
kindness is one of her many good qualities.
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native excellence or superiority.
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an accomplishment or attainment.
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good or high social position.
a man of quality.
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the superiority or distinction associated with high social position.
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Acoustics. the texture of a tone, dependent on its overtone content, that distinguishes it from others of the same pitch and loudness.
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Phonetics. the tonal color, or timbre, that characterizes a particular vowel sound.
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Logic. the character of a proposition as affirmative or negative.
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Thermodynamics. the proportion or percentage of vapor in a mixture of liquid and vapor, as wet steam.
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social status or position.
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a person of high social position.
He's quality, that one is.
adjective
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of or having superior quality.
quality paper.
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producing or providing products or services of high quality or merit.
a quality publisher.
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of or occupying high social status.
a quality family.
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marked by a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, or commitment.
Counselors are urging that working parents try to spend more quality time with their children.
noun
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a distinguishing characteristic, property, or attribute
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the basic character or nature of something
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a trait or feature of personality
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degree or standard of excellence, esp a high standard
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(formerly) high social status or the distinction associated with it
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musical tone colour; timbre
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logic the characteristic of a proposition that is dependent on whether it is affirmative or negative
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phonetics the distinctive character of a vowel, determined by the configuration of the mouth, tongue, etc, when it is articulated and distinguished from the pitch and stress with which it is uttered
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(modifier) having or showing excellence or superiority
a quality product
Synonym Usage
Quality, attribute, property agree in meaning a particular characteristic (of a person or thing). A quality is a characteristic, innate or acquired, that, in some particular, determines the nature and behavior of a person or thing: naturalness as a quality; the quality of meat. An attribute was originally a quality attributed, usually to a person or something personified; more recently it has meant a fundamental or innate characteristic: an attribute of God; attributes of a logical mind. Property applies only to things; it means a characteristic belonging specifically in the constitution of, or found (invariably) in, the behavior of a thing: physical properties of uranium or of limestone.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of quality
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English qualite, from Old French, from Latin quālitās, equivalent to quāl(is) “of what sort” + -itās -ity
Explanation
The qualities of something are its distinguishing features, and those can be good or bad. The qualities you look for when buying a tightrope might include strength and pliability, but you probably wouldn't want one with a slippery quality. Quality can also be used as a purely positive term: "you're a person of quality," or "you've got a quality operation" are entirely complimentary, meaning you and your operation are superior. There's a joke about how "quality control" in fast food chains assures that whenever you order a burger in a restaurant in that chain — whether you’re in Dallas or Des Moines — the quality is always the same — bad!
Vocabulary lists containing quality
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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Word Generation Social Studies - Ancient Civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome
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Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When selecting individual stocks, some investors look for quality and lower risk, while others want to scoop up shares of companies that have fallen on hard times, hoping to ride a rebound.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Even after Warner Bros. uttered a seemingly decisive “That’s all folks” in regard to the movie, director Dave Green believed the production’s quality would ultimately save it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Parton’s unique star quality took Hollywood’s establishment by surprise in those days.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
The review, external of the most recent and best quality evidence to date applies to regulated vapes that are checked for quality and compliant with strict safety laws.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
As president he envisioned what he called his Great Society—an ambitious set of programs including civil rights legislation and expanded access to quality education and health care.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The qualities that Caldwell described are also ones that were associated with another senator whose oratory attracted attention: Barack Obama.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
With the new LP on the way, the band will lean further into those human qualities on the road, including a performance in late September at Eddie Vedder’s annual Ohana festival in Dana Point.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
"He is a very unique player with unbelievable qualities that I don't think are easy to replicate," Root said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Those same qualities ultimately made Richmond an ideal setting for “Ted Lasso.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
If this is all that atoms have, then the qualities that we perceive in the world—colour, taste, smell, sound, texture, temperature—must be by-products of size, shape and movement.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
