quality

[ kwol-i-tee ]

/ ˈkwɒl ɪ ti /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR quality ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural qual·i·ties.

an essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute: the chemical qualities of alcohol.

character or nature, as belonging to or distinguishing a thing: the quality of a sound.

character with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence: food of poor quality; silks of fine quality.

high grade; superiority; excellence: wood grain of quality.

a personality or character trait: kindness is one of her many good qualities.

native excellence or superiority.

an accomplishment or attainment.

good or high social position: a man of quality.

the superiority or distinction associated with high social position.

Acoustics. the texture of a tone, dependent on its overtone content, that distinguishes it from others of the same pitch and loudness.

Phonetics. the tonal color, or timbre, that characterizes a particular vowel sound.

Logic. the character of a proposition as affirmative or negative.

Thermodynamics. the proportion or percentage of vapor in a mixture of liquid and vapor, as wet steam.

social status or position.

a person of high social position: He's quality, that one is.

adjective

of or having superior quality: quality paper.

producing or providing products or services of high quality or merit: a quality publisher.

of or occupying high social status: a quality family.

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.

Words nearby quality

qualifier, qualify, qualitative, qualitative analysis, qualitative identity, quality, quality assurance, quality circle, quality control, quality factor, quality point

Origin of quality

1250–1300; Middle English qualite < Old French < Latin quālitās, equivalent to quāl(is) of what sort + -itās -ity

SYNONYMS FOR quality

1 trait, character, feature.

3 nature, kind, grade, sort, condition.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR quality ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM quality

qual·i·ty·less, adjectivenon·qual·i·ty, noun, plural non·qual·i·ties.sub·qual·i·ty, noun, plural sub·qual·i·ties.

synonym study for quality

1. 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quality

The economy has begun to add jobs, but the quality of those jobs is an increasing concern.
Christie Blames Parents for Bad Economy|Monica Potts|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The quality of the music is a major factor in this recent surge.
Down With the King: Christianity Isn’t Hiding in Rap’s Closet|Stereo Williams|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the midst of the clubbiness, there is a heimishe (Yiddish for familiar, old school) quality.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots|Emily Shire|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First, we need to change the debate—to focus at least as much on the quality of resources as the quantity.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball?|Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Cuban cigars are world-renowned for their quality and craftsmanship, and Americans have loved this major Cuban export for decades.
Cigar Dealers Light Up Over Cuba News|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The climate of Cumberland does not overpower one—the air is of a quality that urges you on to think and do.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 5 (of 14)|Elbert Hubbard
If you had said or implied she was a lady, she would have shrunk as from a covert reflection on the quality of her work.
The Flight of the Shadow|George MacDonald
They estimate the efficacy of prayer by its quantity and not by its quality.
Wit and Humor of the Bible|Marion D. Shutter
I see the answer in your face: it is the quality of being Sure-Footed.
The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices|Charles Dickens
The color of the feathers does not seem to affect the quality of the flesh or their character for laying.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen

British Dictionary definitions for quality

quality

/ (ˈkwɒlɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

a distinguishing characteristic, property, or attribute

the basic character or nature of something

a trait or feature of personality

degree or standard of excellence, esp a high standard

(formerly) high social status or the distinction associated with it

musical tone colour; timbre

logic the characteristic of a proposition that is dependent on whether it is affirmative or negative

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

(modifier) having or showing excellence or superioritya quality product

Word Origin for quality

C13: from Old French qualité, from Latin quālitās state, nature, from quālis of what sort

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012