trait

American  

[treyt, trey] / treɪt, treɪ /

noun

traits plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• traits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trait

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

See Examples For:

trait traits

This behavioral trait is central to the archipelago’s historical fame.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The freshman lineman was put through rigorous drills by strength and conditioning coach Mark Kulbis, according to the attorney general’s office, even though Kulbis knew Dickey Jr. had sickle-cell trait.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

But having one specific, focused and dedicated hobby is a common autistic trait.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

More accurate identification of subgenomes could improve gene annotation, trait mapping, and comparative genomic studies.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026

Another singular human trait is that we walk upright on two legs.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Beyond making us laugh, Neill’s wit was one of those special traits that enhanced all the other aspects that made him so lovable as both an actor and a person.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

Humans and chimpanzees split from a common ancestor between six and seven million years ago, and the two species still share many behavioral and genetic traits.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

They focus on AI tools -- whether text, audio, video or another form -- that have anthropomorphic personality traits and communication styles.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

If the broader EU supplier and manufacturer outlook weakens further from here, these traits may allow for a further rerating at Pirelli, Citi adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

For traits such as hemophilia, this was straightforward: one hardly needed twin studies to establish heredity.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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