characteristic1 nouncharacteristic2 adjective
characteristicchar‧ac‧ter‧is‧tic1 /ˌkærəktəˈrɪstɪk◂/ ●●○ S3 W2 noun [countable usually plural] 
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- All great leaders share certain characteristics which must be seen as the key to their success.
- Can you describe the robber's physical characteristics?
- Leadership and honesty are the characteristics of a good manager.
- One of the characteristics of this species is the dark blue markings on its back.
- Ralph can be very mean sometimes. It's one of his less endearing characteristics.
- The main characteristics of capitalism are private ownership of capital and freedom of enterprise.
- The two diseases have a number of characteristics in common.
- The UK shares many characteristics with other European countries.
- A chief characteristic of isolationism is not caring very much about what happens elsewhere.
- As educators, we are concerned with the characteristics of both learners and their environments.
- But in fact lawyers vary all over the lot in their personality characteristics.
- In this chapter we have seen that growth is an inherent characteristic of both the Kingdom and the Church.
- The most striking characteristic of Morris's designs is a sensuous vitality derived from his deep love of nature.
- The second characteristic of my industrial world is that it is incredibly international.
- Their acidic characteristics makes them particularly suitable for the dairy industry, breweries and soft drink manufacturers.
- These are also the characteristics of good citizenship, and they should be emphasized in the teaching of all subjects.
THESAURUS
something that is typical of someone or something and makes them easy to recognize: · He had several characteristics which made him different to the rest of his family.· the physical characteristics of the brain· He studied the special characteristics of adult speech addressed to children.
a characteristic of a person, especially a good one such as kindness or intelligence: · Tina has a lot of good qualities.· I’m not sure about his leadership qualities.· Obedience is a quality that my father admires.
an important or interesting characteristic of something: · it seems to be a feature of modern society that we tend to judge ourselves by our work above everything else.· A curious feature of the novel is the absence of women.· The building still has many of its original features.
[usually plural] technical a characteristic of a substance or object, for example hardness or elasticity, or how it behaves – used especially in scientific contexts: · We examined the physical properties of various metals.· changes in the electrical properties of cells· Some plants have healing properties.
formal a good or useful characteristic: · I suspected I probably did not quite possess all the attributes required to succeed at the highest level.· All living things are able to reproduce their kind, an attribute which no machine possesses..
good or bad characteristics – used when someone or something has both good and bad characteristics: · The seller will obviously emphasize the car’s good points.· Draw up a list of your partner’s good and bad points.
Longman Language Activatorone part of someone's character something such as an ability or a way of behaving that is part of someone's character: · Besides intelligence and charm, Bella had some less desirable qualities.· The essential quality of a good parent is patience.· Among his other endearing qualities, Ralph was an exceedingly patient man.
a part of someone's character, especially a part that is thought by other people to be good and useful: · The attribute that people found most attractive in Sharon was her optimism.· Hope is one of mankind's most enduring and rewarding attributes.· He had all the attributes of a great leader: charisma, energy, discipline, and resourcefulness.
someone's characteristics are the qualities that are typical of them and which make them easy to recognize: · All great leaders share certain characteristics which must be seen as the key to their success.· Ralph can be very mean sometimes. It's one of his less endearing characteristics.
one type of feeling or behaviour that is particularly noticeable in a person or group of people: · It's a human trait to joke about subjects that make us uncomfortable.family trait (=a trait shared by members of a family): · Pride seems to be one of our family traits.personality trait: · Certain personality traits make people more likely to become victims of violent crime.
: romantic/serious/funny etc side a part of someone's character, especially one that is very different from the rest of their character: · Canning was a very traditional Englishman but he had a surprisingly romantic side to him as well.· Val revealed her wild side at the office party.· After his arrest people realized that there had always been a darker side to his nature.
one part of someone's character, which makes them behave or feel in particular ways: · Part of me loves going to parties but there's another part that prefers staying at home.· There is a part of her that I just don't understand.
a part of someone's character that is quite different from the rest of their character, especially one that makes them behave badly: mean/nasty/violent etc streak: · She had a mean streak that she didn't bother to hide.· The District Attorney argued that Johnson has a violent streak and is a danger to society.
informal a part of someone's character, especially one that you like or dislike: · One of the things I like about Susan is the way she always keeps smiling, even when there are problems.· The nicest thing about Richard is that he doesn't mind being criticized.
good or bad things about someone's character: · Fred was a bad manager but he had his good points.· She always tried to be fair with her students and not just stress their bad points.· When you're dead people don't remember your faults -- only your good points.
a strange or unusual habit or part of someone's character: · Although on the outside he was quiet and shy, Albert had more than his share of quirks.· She took pride in her children's quirks and individuality, and made no effort to try to change them.
you say this when there is something about a person's character that you like or dislike, but you're not sure exactly what it is: · I don't know what it is, but there's something about that man which really irritates me.
one part of the character of something a part of the character of something that makes it clearly different from or similar to other things: · One of the characteristics of this species is the dark blue markings on its back.· The main characteristics of capitalism are private ownership of capital and freedom of enterprise.share characteristics/have characteristics in common (=have similar characteristics): · The UK shares many characteristics with other European countries.· The two diseases have a number of characteristics in common.
an important part of the character of something, especially a part that is good: · There are certain qualities in Orwell's prose that I greatly admire.· Despite its many qualities, the school simply isn't getting results.· This wine possesses a unique quality.a quality of: · There is a wonderful quality of innocence in these paintings.
a characteristic that a particular substance or chemical has: · The properties of the soil influence the growth of the plants.· We test the chemical and biological properties of the samples.· The conducting properties of solids vary widely.
an important, noticeable, or interesting characteristic of something: · The hotel's most attractive feature is its magnificent view of Mount Hood.· Patriotism was a prominent feature in Bush's election campaign.a feature of: · Information on employment is a central feature of this training course.
a characteristic of an organization or system, especially a good characteristic: · He possesses the essential attributes of a journalist.· She spent most of the interview describing the company's attributes to me.
informal a characteristic of something, especially one that you like or dislike: · The thing that I really hate about this job is having to work late at night.· All that lovely fresh air -- that's the best thing about living in the country.
the good or bad things about a place or thing: · The city is big and noisy, but it does have its good points too.
you say this when there's something about a thing, a place, someone's behaviour etc that you like or dislike, but you're not sure exactly what it is: · There's something very strange about this whole affair.· There was something about the place that gave me the creeps.
a fact or quality that makes someone or something different a detail, fact, or quality that makes one person or thing different from another: · We should think about the similarities between cultures, not the differences.difference between: · Try and spot the differences between these two pictures.· The difference between the two cheeses is that one is made from goat's milk.difference in: · I don't think there's any difference in the way you pronounce these two words.know the difference: · He's speaking Italian, not Spanish. Don't you know the difference?
a clear, but usually small, difference between similar things: · Pablo insists that he is Basque, not Spanish - an important distinction.distinction between: · There is a clear distinction between lawful protest and illegal strike action.
a feature of a particular person or thing that makes them look different from other similar people or things: · The distinguishing feature of the African elephant is the size of its ears.· The melodies of most composers have distinguishing characteristics which make them instantly identifiable.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives
The main distinguishing feature of this species is the leaf shape. She has an irritating habit of interrupting.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· physical characteristics such as your height and weight
(=relating to someone’s character)· What are the personal characteristics that a leader requires?
· The power of speech is an entirely human characteristic.
(=typical of the people of a country)· Organization is often seen as a German national characteristic.
· A new interest in art was one of the main characteristics of this period.
(=that people or things share)· Successful firms tend to have common characteristics.
(=separating someone or something from others of the same type)· The blue feathers are the distinguishing characteristic of the male bird.
(=one that is necessary in order to be a particular type of person or thing)· Originality is one of the defining characteristics of a great band.
· An essential characteristic of good teaching is that it must create interest in the learner.
· Intelligence is an inherited characteristic.
· Its canals are one of Amsterdam’s most striking characteristics.
verbs (also possess a characteristic formal)· He has all the characteristics of a great husband.
(also exhibit a characteristic formal)· A material may exhibit the characteristics of both a liquid and a solid.
· The group shared one characteristic - they were all under 25.
(=get a characteristic from your parent)· We all inherit physical characteristics from our parents.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The main distinguishing feature of this species is the leaf shape. She has an irritating habit of interrupting.· The term social movement refers to a wide range of groups with certain characteristics in common.· As dynamic wholes, these all share certain characteristics: a certain liveliness, for one.· Constitutions there have certain essential characteristics, none of them found in Britain.· Below turning to the Gobitis Case, however, it is desirable to notice certain characteristics by which this controversy is distinguished.· Another way of distinguishing the services provided by local government is to group them according to certain shared characteristics.· Although the Alsops' fortunes waxed and waned through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, certain family characteristics remained distinct.· The ten years which followed had certain peculiar characteristics.· These advances always share certain characteristics: 1.
· The essential defining characteristic of this relation is its capacity to give rise to pleonasm.· This is a theoretical entity that contains a specification of the word's defining characteristics.· Nevertheless, the defining characteristic of this period was undoubtedly the Cold War.· Yet the defining characteristic of all patronal social relations is the privileged situation of the patron.· The hard core of a programme is, more than anything else, the defining characteristic of a programme.· The trouble is that one of the defining characteristics of twentysomethings is their cynicism towards advertising.· This was particularly noticeable among the younger policemen, for whom this imagery seems to be a defining characteristic of their work.· Finally, for both Wimsatt and Brooks a defining characteristic of poetry was irony.
· Apart from these demographic characteristics of informal care-giving, in other important respects it remains an issue of central importance to women.· Television programs are aimed at people according to their demographic characteristics rather than their place of residence.· Thus, people with similar socio-economic and demographic characteristics, but living in different places, may well vote for different parties.· Interestingly, there is a striking lack of relationship between Mach scores and demographic characteristics.· Fifty consecutive referrals in 1988 were compared with 50 consecutive referrals in 1990 with respect to demographic characteristics and patterns of drug misuse.· It is particularly applicable where buying can be assessed in the light of the demographic characteristics of shoppers.· It is very unlikely that future generations will exhibit this particular demographic characteristic.· However, the concentration of people with particular demographic characteristics is clearly not just a selective effect.
· Interestingly, the dementia from this disease has different characteristics than the symptoms of Alzheimer's.· However, Professor Gimbutas suggests that the Goddess displayed different characteristics.· It does have different characteristics from other more fixed medical conditions, such as cerebral palsy.· The twin communities, one on either side of the international river, had now taken on separate and quite different characteristics.· Kikuyu farmers had traditionally farmed several plots which were within easy walking distance but had different characteristics of altitude and soil type.· The different characteristics of the Deity are then shown to reflect one or other of these ways.· Landsats 1-3 and Landsats 4 and 5 have rather different characteristics.
· There were three distinctive characteristics about the archosaurs that paleontologists discovered marked them off from their antecedents.· During his lifetime, the distinctive characteristics of his vocation had begun to dwindle.· These distinctive characteristics come from differences in minute quantities of flavouring constituents whose concentrations are at the threshold of human sensory perception.· All madeiras are blended and the blender is an artist, giving the blend its distinctive characteristics.· The three islands have distinctive characteristics with the best of the game fishing being on South Uist.
· The essential defining characteristic of this relation is its capacity to give rise to pleonasm.· Within the sacred whole, change, subjectivity, and diversity are essential characteristics of the natural world.· To help the learner, complex examples should be reduced to the essential characteristics and differences emphasised.· There are four essential characteristics of the scientific method: 1.· The essential characteristic of Byzantine dome construction is that such a dome is supported upon and covers a square form.· But all these leaders share certain essential characteristics.· Constitutions there have certain essential characteristics, none of them found in Britain.· The essential characteristics of national elections in the United States and Britain are contrasted in Table 5.1.
· There are some general characteristics, however.· The following chart offers general taste characteristics of the game featured.· Be aware of the distinction between primary evidence and secondary evidence, and the general characteristics of each. 2.· D., was willing to discuss the general characteristics of emotional development.· The general characteristics of each period are discussed.· Results Table I describes the general characteristics of the two groups studied.
· What he perceived were human characteristics, above all the truth of the heart.· Rawls's representative agent is portrayed as a disembodied party devoid of any substantive human characteristics except rationality.· This moral valuation of the geometrically simple is a markedly human characteristic.· This lack of genuine relationships with other human beings is characteristic of the unreality of Capitol Hill.· But, beyond hunches and educated guesses, what about other human characteristics such as beliefs, prejudices and emotions?· One can explain many apparently strange human characteristics by pointing to their value for survival at various stages of evolutionary development.· Such people manifestly lack those human characteristics a society both produces in its members and relies on for its continued existence.
· His intention was to convey the significant or important characteristics of a building.· It was to determine the most important characteristic that accounted for their early success.· This high frequency of participation across a large number of sports is an important characteristic of sports participation.· This last is the most important characteristic of all.· Trade-based classifications Though clearly important, income and population size are not the only important characteristics of countries.· Several of the most important characteristics of preoperational thought are discussed in this chapter.· But perhaps its most important characteristic is one which is only implicit.· Another important characteristic of the sentimental comedy is its moralizing, ethical nature.
· Bury, in short, reflected the wealth of an ordinary country district and displayed no strong individual characteristics.· Affiliation may not imply successful recovery. Individual characteristics that have been investigated are as varied as the researchers performing the studies.· Personal Factors Every individual is different; individual characteristics influence behaviour in complex and significant ways.· Select chores that are appropriate to the individual characteristics of the child.· We shall need to study, not just the individual characteristics of leadership, but also the reaction to leadership by others.· My arrangement was good because I got to know the individual characteristics of my helicopter since I flew it day after day.· For a novel writer who may possess individual writing characteristics, unknown to the handwriting recogniser, performance can be low.· Essex displayed strong individual characteristics, not even the forested western fringe being markedly differentiated from the adjacent parts.
· It was found that key characteristics was by far the most popular strategy, followed by realist strategy.· Otherwise, the partners would be profiled in terms of their key characteristics, financial performance and likely valuation.· The other key characteristic of the even-toed ungulates that would have helped this process along is the structure of the feet.· The key characteristics of each company which make them a good fit with the client should be identified.· A key characteristic of research is that it is public.· This can be illustrated by considering some of the key characteristics of jobbing production.
· Polar soils and their main characteristics are summarized in Table 3.1, and Figure 3.2 outlines stages in their development.· The main characteristics of capitalism are private ownership of capital and freedom of enterprise.· Moving away from traditional melody, the main characteristic of serialism is the non-repetition of rhythms.· It will be useful therefore to spell out, if only briefly, some of its main characteristics.· However, one of this industry's main characteristics is that it attracts the maverick.· There were four main characteristics which distinguished the early retired from other older people.· Age does not wither us: it accentuates our main characteristics.· The main characteristics of a period of standstill are: 1.
· The War Wagon tower has its own toughness value, wounds, and other characteristics as shown below.· Such organizations have many other characteristics which anybody who has worked in them for any length of time will recognize.· Two other characteristics of the sample population require some comment: the incidence of employment, and of domestic help.· The other key characteristic of the even-toed ungulates that would have helped this process along is the structure of the feet.· But, beyond hunches and educated guesses, what about other human characteristics such as beliefs, prejudices and emotions?· If they are not a vocal species, or even if they are, their smell or other characteristics may also be different.· Neither the price nor any other characteristic of the transport system enters into it.· One other characteristic of the 1880 system is also remarkable.
· He also pointed to the lack of evidence of consistent female choice for mates carrying particular characteristics.· There could be millions of pools, each of which held mortgages with particular characteristics, each pool in itself homogeneous.· Eysenck's theory depends on a high correlation between criminality and particular personality characteristics identified by personality tests.· They had to be more specific about the traditionally accepted forms of behaviour, customs, occupations and particular national characteristics.· The particular characteristics chosen above to characterise television and print-on-paper media, are one way of seeing their utilities.· Personality traits are particular characteristics or aspects of this total personality.· These traits are ingrained and stable dispositions to respond to certain situations in particular ways characteristic of the personality.· This was conceptualised both generally and in terms which could take account of particular cultural characteristics.
· But personal characteristics are certainly not the whole story.· They are generalizations assumed to be true of an entire group of people, regardless of their personal characteristics and circumstances.· Overall the characteristics of the remuneration scheme were shown to exert more consistent effects than were individuals' personal characteristics.· Box 5. 1, pages 112-113, details the personal characteristics and background of two extraordinary extremist-activists.· Because the original speaker's words are stored the personal characteristics remain, even the accent is readily detectable in some cases.· And it is intriguing that their activism followed such divergent paths, despite notable similarities in personal characteristics.· These developments were greatly facilitated and consolidated by the personal characteristics of a series of kings.· Speaking in terms of personal characteristics, for a moment, there must be certainly resources of the spirit and the will.
· This states that the defendant must take the plaintiff as he finds him, as regards his physical characteristics.· But the profiles also try to pinpoint physical characteristics, the paper said.· In his work, different cultural groups or social classes appear as separate races with definite and visible physical characteristics.· Unlike the highly sensitive child, the defiant child has some physical characteristics that make a more aggressive approach possible.· Earlier we talked about antimatter - particles which have all their physical characteristics opposite to those displayed by particles of matter.· As I mentioned earlier, not all children who are aggressive display these physical characteristics.· Biochemical Adaptation in Parasites Parasites - from protozoa to helminths - occupy many environments that have markedly different physical and chemical characteristics.
· Acrylic fibres are made into fabric which is soft and warm, and consequently has similar characteristics to wool.· These characteristics are similar to the characteristics of Nottinghamshire practices as a whole.· The wealth of Worcester, its size and eminence in the textile industry not withstanding, showed similar characteristics.· A new piece of legislation on this issue, the Disabled Persons Act 1986, seems to have similar characteristics.· In fact, similar managerial characteristics have continued to prevail in larger, technologically-advanced firms.· Many planning systems exist whereby consumers with similar characteristics of purchasing behaviour are grouped.· For those sports possessing a similar collection of characteristics we would expect to have substitute relationships.
· Are the people different in their social characteristics and if so why?· Readers will find a central concern about the factors that influence social welfare a characteristic of many writings on social policy.· It is also now analysing for the first time in a quantitative way the changing social and cultural characteristics of small towns.· The social characteristics of the two outer-city communities differ quite considerably from those of the inner city.· The 1981 decennial census provides information on the social and economic characteristics of small areas of these cities.· Identity markers are those social characteristics of an individual that they might present to others to support their national identity claim.· Positivist research has generated much data about specific relationships between individual or social characteristics and the likelihood of conviction.
· Any handicaps or special characteristics which obviously affect health and development can not be ignored.· Together, books and television form a useful alliance which has another set of special characteristics.· The latter may have its own special characteristics for the job you have in mind.· Nothing was said there which relied on any special characteristic of pain.· Even somebody as talented as Cadalora may have trouble adapting to the special steering characteristics of the Honda.· These will highlight the special characteristics and training required by the horse, together with the physical resources needed.· This is one of the special characteristics of catholicism, and is found to a much lesser extent in non-episcopal traditions.· She recognizes her own special rights as an adult, but also the child's individual interests and special characteristics.
· From this emerges the time-specific characteristic of the photograph.· Detailed information relative to the specific characteristics of the long-term debt is disclosed in the footnotes to the financial statements.· Even when their specific characteristics are recognized, they are given different interpretations and names.· Each member has a specific role and a specific characteristic.· The extent that such voluntary information disclosures can be explained by these specific company characteristics will then be explored.· These two aspects together dictate the specific characteristics of a given model, or paradigm.· Psychology also studies specific characteristics of black subjects.· Ravenna churches have a number of specific characteristics.
· The red spots in the caudal peduncle region are one of the unique characteristics of this species.· Medical examiners are interviewing family members about any unique characteristics to help identify bodies.· Each national market will have its unique characteristics.· Thus the unique driving characteristics of a 911 are preserved.· Each has unique characteristics, too.· Because setting varies enormously, since each watercourse possesses its own unique characteristics, pollution is a highly relative notion.· He saw the unique characteristics of adolescent thought and personality as a normal outgrowth of development.
NOUN· Eysenck's theory depends on a high correlation between criminality and particular personality characteristics identified by personality tests.· What personality characteristics do you think are desirable in a political leader?· During the first few years of life, enduring personality characteristics are established.· Psychologists have never had much success at defining which personality characteristics are inherited in humans and which are not.· But in fact lawyers vary all over the lot in their personality characteristics.· Other event-producing situations are unrelated to an individual's approach to life or personality characteristics.· There are also personality characteristics which are manifested both as strengths and weaknesses.
VERB· Psychologists have never had much success at defining which personality characteristics are inherited in humans and which are not.· Those who hold that tongue speaking is the defining characteristic of pentecostalism insist on the Topeka advent.· A defining characteristic of the Bund was its acceptance of debate and dissent.· Originality is a defining characteristic of Great Groups.· It is emblematic of the difficulties facing those who attempt definitions in the current age of resistance to overarching defining characteristics.· Optimism and energy, especially in the face of adversity, are defining characteristics of our clan.· The ability to define characteristics such as mass, velocity, inertia and elasticity is also planned.· Solitude for this writer was the defining characteristic.
· That is its distinguishing characteristic, and something to which we shall return.· But race is not the distinguishing characteristic of this growing rape epidemic.· His mildness and patience were particularly distinguishing characteristics.
· Such a reaction is both natural and understandable: the Constitution does exhibit those very characteristics.· It is a political project exhibiting all the characteristics of a centrally controlled socialist economic system.· These are learned from others in the group who already exhibit these characteristics.· To appear round and full was to exhibit the characteristics of prosperity and the patent outcome of regular meals.· They do not exhibit the semantic indeterminacy characteristic of poetic metaphors.· Populations that have the greatest potential for achieving benefits and cost-effectiveness in nutrition care exhibit the following characteristics: 1.· Many women workers exhibit labour market characteristics traditionally associated with vulnerability to unemployment.· Marijuana exhibits characteristics of a depressant as well as a stimulant; however, it is classified as neither.
· Between them, these statements identify three characteristics at the heart of educational research.· It is possible to identify the characteristics of organizations and institutions where scandals arise.· These groups can be defined only by pilot programmes specifically designed to identify the characteristics of such groups.· Meisel identifies three functional characteristics which-Mosca's elite has to have - group consciousness. coherence and conspiracy.· This information is then used to profile each area and identify the principal characteristics of the neighbourhood.· So, we have identified two characteristics of winning strategies: niceness and forgivingness.
· Sport can possess the characteristic of a capital good, one that yields a return as part of a market production process.· Sentimental comedy possesses several characteristics that are incompatible with the classic concept of tragedy and the tragic hero.· The theory states that individuals possess certain characteristics so that they are predisposed to act in a certain way within a given situation.· For a novel writer who may possess individual writing characteristics, unknown to the handwriting recogniser, performance can be low.· They are buildings of the Romanesque or Gothic periods and possess strong Byzantine characteristics.· What explanatory surveys require are cases which possess characteristics relevant to the problem of the research.· Assets are imperfect substitutes because they possess different characteristics with respect to liquidity, marketability and profitability.· The simplest creatures to possess these physical characteristics are the jellyfish and their relatives.
· Galton developed a technique for superimposing a number of photographed faces of people with shared characteristics or circumstances.· As dynamic wholes, these all share certain characteristics: a certain liveliness, for one.· To a much lesser degree, retailing may share some such characteristic.· Headaches that share characteristics of both types are called mixed tension-migraine or combined headaches.· She prided herself on her honesty and knew that Helen shared this characteristic.· These advances always share certain characteristics: 1.· This appears to be closely related to whether we share the observed characteristic or not.· But all these leaders share certain essential characteristics.
· In addition, immediate relatives of diagnosed psychotics show schizotypal characteristics more frequently than would be expected by chance.· The wealth of Worcester, its size and eminence in the textile industry not withstanding, showed similar characteristics.· Conceivably, different forms, changing at different rates and showing contrasting combinations of characteristics, were present in different areas.· This confirms that lesions associated with one particular virus type may show diverse morphological characteristics.· These buildings show characteristics different from later Romanesque work.· The few girls who enter science will not usually show these foreclosure characteristics.
WORD FAMILYnouncharactercharacteristiccharacterizationadjectivecharacteristic ≠ uncharacteristiccharacterlessverbcharacterizeadverbcharacteristically ≠ uncharacteristically
a quality or feature of something or someone that is typical of them and easy to recognizecharacteristic of a baby discovering the physical characteristics of objectsdefining/distinguishing characteristic (=one that separates someone or something from others of the same type) Violent images are a defining characteristic of his work.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa physical characteristic· physical characteristics such as your height and weighta personal characteristic (=relating to someone’s character)· What are the personal characteristics that a leader requires?a human characteristic· The power of speech is an entirely human characteristic.a national characteristic (=typical of the people of a country)· Organization is often seen as a German national characteristic.the main characteristic of something· A new interest in art was one of the main characteristics of this period.a common characteristic (=that people or things share)· Successful firms tend to have common characteristics.a distinguishing/distinctive characteristic (=separating someone or something from others of the same type)· The blue feathers are the distinguishing characteristic of the male bird.a defining characteristic (=one that is necessary in order to be a particular type of person or thing)· Originality is one of the defining characteristics of a great band.an important/essential characteristic· An essential characteristic of good teaching is that it must create interest in the learner.an inherited characteristic· Intelligence is an inherited characteristic.a striking characteristic· Its canals are one of Amsterdam’s most striking characteristics.verbshave a characteristic (also possess a characteristic formal)· He has all the characteristics of a great husband.show a characteristic (also exhibit a characteristic formal)· A material may exhibit the characteristics of both a liquid and a solid.share a characteristic· The group shared one characteristic - they were all under 25.inherit a characteristic (=get a characteristic from your parent)· We all inherit physical characteristics from our parents.THESAURUScharacteristic something that is typical of someone or something and makes them easy to recognize: · He had several characteristics which made him different to the rest of his family.· the physical characteristics of the brain· He studied the special characteristics of adult speech addressed to children.quality a characteristic of a person, especially a good one such as kindness or intelligence: · Tina has a lot of good qualities.· I’m not sure about his leadership qualities.· Obedience is a quality that my father admires.feature an important or interesting characteristic of something: · it seems to be a feature of modern society that we tend to judge ourselves by our work above everything else.· A curious feature of the novel is the absence of women.· The building still has many of its original features.property [usually plural] technical a characteristic of a substance or object, for example hardness or elasticity, or how it behaves – used especially in scientific contexts: · We examined the physical properties of various metals.· changes in the electrical properties of cells· Some plants have healing properties.attribute formal a good or useful characteristic: · I suspected I probably did not quite possess all the attributes required to succeed at the highest level.· All living things are able to reproduce their kind, an attribute which no machine possesses..good/bad points good or bad characteristics – used when someone or something has both good and bad characteristics: · The seller will obviously emphasize the car’s good points.· Draw up a list of your partner’s good and bad points.characteristic1 nouncharacteristic2 adjective
characteristiccharacteristic2 ●●○ adjective EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Each species of bird has its own characteristic song.
- Larry, with characteristic generosity, invited everyone back to his house.
- Naomi is meeting the changes in her life with characteristic optimism.
- This pattern is characteristic of the local architecture.
- A few characteristic ways of changing minds may be examined.
- Component subskills in reading and spelling A characteristic feature of any skill is a hierarchical organisation of component subskills.
- Contrasts of major and minor keys with the same root, found but once in Stuck's first book, are characteristic.
- Dress not only covers and decorates the body but instils in the wearer its own characteristic strengths and weaknesses.
- In the advanced case, the upper limb is carried in a characteristic posture of flexion, adduction, and pronation.
- The choices are unlimited, but here are some of the characteristic elements which help to give a kitchen a particular atmosphere.
- What is characteristic of his interpretation is that he did not attribute any importance to the Maccabean movement.
THESAURUS
a typical person or thing is a good example of that type of person or thing: · With his camera around his neck, he looked like a typical tourist.· The windows are typical of houses built during this period.
used to describe a very typical and very good example of something: · It was a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.· a classic mistake· The book is a classic example of great teamwork.
the archetypal person or thing is the most typical example of that kind of person or thing, and has all their most important qualities: · the archetypal English village· Indiana Jones is the archetypal adventure hero.
used when you want to emphasize that someone or something is the very best example of something – used especially when you admire them very much: · the quintessential guide to New York· Robert Plant is the quintessential rock ‘n’ roll singer.
having the characteristics that many people believe a particular type of person or thing has – used when you think these beliefs are not true: · Hollywood films are full of stereotypical images of women as wives and mothers.· He challenges stereotypical ideas about people with disabilities.
containing the most common types of people or things that are found in something, and showing what it is usually like: · a representative sample of college students
very typical of a particular type of thing, or of someone’s character or usual behaviour: · Each species of bird has its own characteristic song.· What gives Paris its characteristic charm?· He played with his characteristic skill.· the characteristic symptoms of the disease
to be the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing or of a particular quality: · His house was thought to be the epitome of good taste.
Longman Language Activatortypical behaviour or qualities behaviour or actions that are typical of a person are just what you usually expect them to do, especially when this is something bad or annoying: · "Dad forgot to mail the letter." "That's just typical!"· Mrs Quilley greeted the guests with typical charm and confidence.· This is typical adolescent behaviour - part of the process of becoming independent from your parents.it is typical of somebody to do something: · It's typical of Ramon to waste time when he knows we're already late.
very typical of a particular type of thing, or of someone's character or usual behaviour: · Each species of bird has its own characteristic song.· Larry, with characteristic generosity, invited everyone back to his house.characteristic of: · This pattern is characteristic of the local architecture.
if you say that something is just what you'd expect , you mean that it is exactly what your idea of someone makes you expect them to do: · Jenny's house is very clean and neat, just what you'd expect.· He was annoyed, but he soon got over it -- just what you'd expect, in fact.
if you say that someone's action or behaviour is just like them, you mean that it is typical of them in a way that annoys you: · You have left everything to the last minute. That's just like you.it is just like somebody to do something: · It's just like Uncle Roy to invite us all to lunch and then forget to tell Aunt Sarah.· It would be just like my son to get the measles twice.
used for saying that you are not surprised that someone has done something or behaved in a particular way, because it's the kind of thing they often do: · He was late, of course, but that's Tim all over.· "That's Dora all over," interrupted Rose with a sniff. "Once she gets an idea into her head, nothing will stop her."
if you say that someone does something true to form you mean it is very typical of them, especially when it is something annoying: · True to form, Oliver turned up late and drunk.· They promised to pay by Friday and yes, true to form, the money didn't arrive till Wednesday.
you say someone would do something when they do something that is typical of them and you want to criticize them for it: · "Janice is going to be late for the meeting." "She would be!"· "And then Harry got drunk." "He would do, wouldn't he!"
usual and expected for a particular person or type of person or a situation - you can often use this in humorous contexts: · It was a typical student's room with the inevitable Van Gogh print on the wall.· Dinner started with the inevitable chicken soup.· In the subway I got cornered by the inevitable drunkard wanting to give me some advice.
an action or remark that is in character is typical of someone's character: · Julie said that? That doesn't seem to be in character at all.· His reaction was quite in character. The man had no respect for education, and it was no surprise when he took his son out of school.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the highly characteristic (=very typical) flint walls of the local housesCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The main distinguishing feature of this species is the leaf shape. She has an irritating habit of interrupting.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
the highly characteristic (=very typical) flint walls of the local houses The main distinguishing feature of this species is the leaf shape. She has an irritating habit of interrupting.· Basking is highly characteristic of arctic insects.· This highly characteristic Fifties attitude makes Souza's work look as if it belongs to a time rather than a place.
· The bright chestnut is considered the most characteristic colour and, all other things being equal, the one to be preferred.· The location and quality of the pain are most characteristic.· The most characteristic feature of addictive disease is that it is a relapsing condition.· When, in his most characteristic gesture, he presses a gesticulating finger to his forehead, his hand trembles.· These spatter cones contain little, if any, fine-grained ashy material and are amongst the most characteristic products of Hawaiian eruptions.· I have focused attention on identification with the society as being the most characteristic attitude thus expressed by citizens.· These small crystals are known as phenocrysts and are one of the most characteristic features of andesites.· One of the most characteristic signals of a cat entering or leaving a social group is the raising of its tail.
· Within the legal container of marriage, the idealization and illusion so characteristic or the in-love state can take a nasty knock.· This change is so characteristic that its absence should raise a serious question about the diagnosis.· And this is without the inevitable political and legal wrangling so characteristic of any nuclear activity in the United States.
· The cluster is made up of a small quadrilateral which is distinctive enough, and is very characteristic with × 20.· Mitch Miller always had a very characteristic conducting style, with his hand in the 0.· There is something very characteristic of Mary Leapor in these lines.· This kind of difference in detail is very characteristic of convergent evolution, as we have seen.· The whole cluster is in the same binocular field, even with × 20, and the shape is very characteristic.· But amygdalin reacts with an enzyme in the almond to produce glucose and two very characteristic compounds, benzaldehyde and prussic acid.
NOUN· Though these problems are a characteristic feature of modern life, they have been with us for a very long time.· These are the characteristic features of a Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood as seen in a male.· The use of alternative names is a characteristic feature of Near Eastern writing.· These small crystals are known as phenocrysts and are one of the most characteristic features of andesites.· The characteristic feature of Brindley's canals was their winding routes, following contours as far as possible without involving major earthworks.· One of the characteristic features of their communities is the street-based group activity.· Consider two of the characteristic features of the first sub-stage of the period Piaget calls the period of concrete operations.· This social mobility is a characteristic feature, and has two implications.
· Yet they did have an important influence on the evolution of bargaining structure and the characteristic form which it assumed.
· The result is a characteristic pattern of light and dark fringes.· In essential schizophrenia the characteristic pattern is of withdrawal from the impacts of experience in the outside world.· M39 is very loose, but sufficiently condensed to make it obvious, particularly in view of the characteristic pattern of its leading stars.
· Whatever the colour scheme, there are certain characteristic styles.· The characteristic styles of great architects and designers may be seen clearly reflected - Chippendale, Sheraton, Adam and Hepplewhite.
· It shatters satisfyingly when hammered, and it does so in a characteristic way.· They were all running, each in its own characteristic way, like a gathering of old friends in animated conversation.· A few characteristic ways of changing minds may be examined.· The evangelists make the point in their own characteristic ways.· It is helpful to think of a leader more as a role with characteristic ways of behaving than as a particular person.· Each has already developed its own characteristic way of exploiting that major insect invention, flight.· The mammals have their own special and characteristic way of fuelling their developing young.
WORD FAMILYnouncharactercharacteristiccharacterizationadjectivecharacteristic ≠ uncharacteristiccharacterlessverbcharacterizeadverbcharacteristically ≠ uncharacteristically
very typical of a particular thing or of someone’s character: the highly characteristic (=very typical) flint walls of the local housescharacteristic of the qualities that were characteristic of the Nixon administration► see thesaurus at typical—characteristically /-kli/ adverbRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say typical rather than characteristic:· The building is typical of those in the area.