What does "characteristic" mean?
A distinguishing feature of a person or thing, a part of mental or physical behavior.
Characteristic
/ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Very common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A distinguishing feature of a person or thing, a part of mental or physical behavior.
- Grammar: characteristic is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: feature, activity feature, affection, affective.
- Useful contrasts: uncharacteristic, untypical, non descriptive word.
- Usage evidence: Slow speech is characteristic of that man.
How to use "characteristic"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "characteristic" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "characteristic" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "characteristic" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "characteristic" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "characteristic" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "feature" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "characteristic", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A distinguishing feature of a person or thing, a part of mental or physical behavior.
- 2 a distinguishing quality; a feature that can be used to identify something wordnet
- 3 The integer part of a logarithm.
"It is evident, moreover, that as the logarithms of numbers, which are tenfold, the one of the other, do not differ except in their characteristics, it is sufficient that the tables contain the fractional parts only of the logarithms."
- 4 any measurable property of a device measured under closely specified conditions wordnet
- 5 The distinguishing features of a navigational light on a lighthouse etc by which it can be identified (colour, pattern of flashes etc.).
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 a prominent attribute or aspect of something wordnet
- 7 For a given field or ring, a natural number that is either the smallest positive number n such that n instances of the multiplicative identity (1) summed together yield the additive identity (0) or, if no such number exists, the number 0.
"The characteristic of a field, if non-zero, must be a prime number."
- 8 the integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression ‘log 643 = 2.808’ the characteristic is 2 wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.
"All this was extraordinarily distasteful to Churchill. It was ugly, gross. Never before had he felt such repulsion when the vicar displayed his characteristic bluntness or coarseness of speech. In the present connexion […] such talk had been distressingly out of place."
Adjective
- 1 typical or distinctive wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Slow speech is characteristic of that man."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "characteristic"?
Common synonyms include: feature, activity feature, affection, affective, algebraic structure properties, algorithm property.
How do you use "characteristic" in a sentence?
Slow speech is characteristic of that man.
How do you pronounce "characteristic"?
Pronounced /ˌkæɹəktəˈɹɪstɪk/.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek χαρακτηριστικός (kharaktēristikós), from χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō, “to designate by a characteristic mark”), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “a mark, character”). By surface analysis, character + -istic.