as in trait
something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind
the ability to fashion tools and other characteristics that distinguish human beings from other animals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in distinctive
serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group
the characteristic taste of licorice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in typical
having or showing the qualities associated with the members of a particular group or kind
the characteristic wit and good-naturedness of the Irish
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of characteristic
Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Using a questionnaire called the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, participants self-reported their sleep characteristics for the previous month.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
Graham G. Dodds, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
In her introduction to the new volume, Schulman writes with characteristic mordancy about how the lesbian world has changed since Hothead was running riot.
—Jo Livingstone, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for characteristic
Noun
In research and clinical trials, ILC is typically combined with the more common IDC, which can conceal many of its own key unique appearance and growth characteristics, according to the study authors.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Using a questionnaire called the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, participants self-reported their sleep characteristics for the previous month.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
If the Supreme Court officially makes the chief executive a unitary executive, the advancement of the public good may depend on little more than the whims of the president, a state of affairs normally more characteristic of dictatorship than democracy.
—Graham G. Dodds, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2025
In her introduction to the new volume, Schulman writes with characteristic mordancy about how the lesbian world has changed since Hothead was running riot.
—Jo Livingstone, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for characteristic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for characteristic
Noun
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In astrology, each zodiac sign falls under one of four elements — Earth, Fire, Water, or Air — and each carries its own traits.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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But to argue that any of this research adds up to a substantial account of intelligence misunderstands the nature of such human traits and what can be expected from scientific explanations of them.—
Eric Turkheimer,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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High operating temperatures and distinctive characteristics set LF-MSRs apart from conventional solid-fuel reactors.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
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Across mediums and genres, our studio has fused art, craft and technology in service of bold, distinctive and enduring stories.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement The rise in flu cases around the continent, as well as outbreaks in Europe earlier this year, have led some medical experts to warn that influenza may be evolving to spread more quickly or earlier than typical in some regions.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
10 Oct. 2025
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Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium will be switching the gridiron for the baseball diamond next summer, but this isn’t for your typical baseball game.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature interviews with artists and personalities like Lainey Wilson, Hardy, Charley Crockett, Gavin Adcock, Amanda Shires, Margo Price, Dusty Slay, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Monroe, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, and Clever.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
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The doc feature records a news report on Taj Erlander, Swedish prime minister during much of Wallenberg’s imprisonment, admitting as much, conceding that his government had failed one of its greatest citizens by not pressing hard for his release.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Israel then tightened a land-sea-air blockade of the territory, which made normal governance impossible and turned every budget line into a permit request.—
Mohammed R. Mhawish,
New Yorker,
14 Oct. 2025
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The cells measure nine square meters (nearly 97 square foot), no bigger than normal cells, although residents in this special wing aren’t required to share a cell, typically out of concern for their safety.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Other attributes make the Lions’ offense difficult to stop, too.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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Bitcoin brings a different but equally powerful set of attributes.—
Luke Xie,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At the vacation rentals below, uncover all that is distinct and dreamy in Scotland, from coastal cottages to Georgian manor homes.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
12 Oct. 2025
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The fake tundra surrounding the cast definitely had a distinct odor to it.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In other hands, this would cue a standard disease-of-the-week weepie, but Coixet keeps the tone lightly wistful and wise, and trains her attention ever more minutely on Rohrwacher, who along with her character, seems to blossom gradually under this steady gaze.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
13 Oct. 2025
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Patients with and without eosinophilia were compared, with eosinophilia defined as ≥350 eosinophils per microliter of blood – a mild threshold, slightly lower than the standard 500 eosinophils per microliter.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Characteristic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characteristic. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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