What does characteristic mean?

Definitions for characteristic
ˌkær ɪk təˈrɪs tɪkchar·ac·ter·is·tic

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word characteristic.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. feature, characteristicnoun

    a prominent attribute or aspect of something

    "the map showed roads and other features"; "generosity is one of his best characteristics"

  2. characteristicnoun

    a distinguishing quality

  3. characteristicnoun

    the integer part (positive or negative) of the representation of a logarithm; in the expression log 643 = 2.808 the characteristic is 2

  4. characteristic, device characteristicadjective

    any measurable property of a device measured under closely specified conditions

  5. characteristicadjective

    typical or distinctive

    "heard my friend's characteristic laugh"; "red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn"; "stripes characteristic of the zebra"

Wiktionary

  1. characteristicnoun

    a distinguishable feature of a person or thing

  2. characteristicnoun

    the integer part of a logarithm

  3. characteristicnoun

    the distinguishing features of a navigational light on a lighthouse etc by which it can be identified (colour, pattern of flashes etc)

  4. characteristicnoun

    The minimum number of times that the unit of a field must be added unto itself in order to yield that field's zero, or, if that minimum natural number does not exist, then (the integer) zero.

  5. characteristicadjective

    being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing

  6. Etymology: From χαρακτηριστικός, from χαρακτηρίζω, from χαρακτήρ.

ChatGPT

  1. characteristic

    A characteristic is a feature, quality, or attribute that is distinctive or identifies something or someone. It can be used to describe both physical traits and personality traits as well as other significant aspects. Characteristics can be used to differentiate, categorize, or describe various things, people, or phenomena.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Characteristicadjective

    pertaining to, or serving to constitute, the character; showing the character, or distinctive qualities or traits, of a person or thing; peculiar; distinctive

  2. Characteristicnoun

    a distinguishing trait, quality, or property; an element of character; that which characterized

  3. Characteristicnoun

    the integral part (whether positive or negative) of a logarithm

  4. Etymology: [Gr. : cf. F. charactristique.]

Freebase

  1. Characteristic

    In mathematics, the characteristic of a ring R, often denoted char, is defined to be the smallest number of times one must use the ring's multiplicative identity element in a sum to get the additive identity element; the ring is said to have characteristic zero if this repeated sum never reaches the additive identity. That is, char is the smallest positive number n such that if such a number n exists, and 0 otherwise. The characteristic may also be taken to be the exponent of the ring's additive group, that is, the smallest positive n such that for every element a of the ring. Some authors do not include the multiplicative identity element in their requirements for a ring, and this definition is suitable for that convention; otherwise the two definitions are equivalent due to the distributive law in rings.

Editors Contribution

  1. characteristic

    A specific quality.

    The characteristics were so clear, she was so honest.


    Submitted by MaryC on March 4, 2020  

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'characteristic' in Nouns Frequency: #904

  2. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'characteristic' in Adjectives Frequency: #691

How to pronounce characteristic?

How to say characteristic in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of characteristic in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of characteristic in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of characteristic in a Sentence

  1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

    It is the characteristic excellence of the strong man that he can bring momentous issues to the fore and make a decision about them. The weak are always forced to decide between alternatives they have not chosen themselves.

  2. Warren Bennis:

    What makes a good follower The single most important characteristic may well be a willingness to tell the truth. In a world of growing complexity leaders are increasingly dependent on their subordinates for good information, whether the leaders want to hear it or not. Followers who tell the truth and leaders who listen to it are an unbeatable combination.

  3. Goa Kerle:

    A predilection for wrong is not characteristic of our nature, it is a characteristic of the nature of life itself.

  4. Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh:

    On the floating islands, we conducted embankment (consolidation) to prevent them from waves and erosion, to ensure safety for the people and the soldiers stationed on the islands, on the submerged islands, we only built small houses, which can accommodate a few people and we are not expanding. The scope and characteristic of our work is purely civilian.

  5. Cullen Murphy:

    They not only look for things to do. They look for things to do that are work related, for me, it plays into a national characteristic of being busy, being productive and improving yourself.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

characteristic#1#8104#10000

Translations for characteristic

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • مميز, صفةArabic
  • характерен, отличителна черта, отличителенBulgarian
  • বৈশিষ্ট্যBengali
  • característica, característicCatalan, Valencian
  • charakteristický, charakteristika, vlastnostCzech
  • karakteristikum, karakteristik, karakteristikon, kendemærkeDanish
  • Eigenart, Kenngröße, charakteristisch, Kennwert, typisch, Eigenschaft, bezeichnend, Merkmal, Charakteristik, kennzeichnendGerman
  • χαρακτηριστικός, χαρακτηριστικόGreek
  • karakteriza, karakteriziloEsperanto
  • característica, característicoSpanish
  • مشخصهPersian
  • karakteristika, luonteenomainen, tunnusmerkki, ominainen, tunnusomainen, erityispiirre, tuntomerkkiFinnish
  • caractéristiques, caractéristiqueFrench
  • aitreabúidIrish
  • característica, característicoGalician
  • סממןHebrew
  • विHindi
  • characteristicInterlingua
  • ciriIndonesian
  • distingiva, karakteriziva, karakterizivo, karakteristiko, traito, proprajoIdo
  • caratteristico, caratteristicaItalian
  • מאפייןHebrew
  • 特性, 特徴Japanese
  • დამახასიათებელიGeorgian
  • 특성Korean
  • tūāhuaMāori
  • kenmerkend, karakteristiek, idiosyncratisch, trekjeDutch
  • cecha, charakterystycznyPolish
  • característica, característicoPortuguese
  • caracteristică, caracteristicRomanian
  • типи́чный, характерная черта, отличи́тельный, характе́рный, характеристика, особенность, отличительная черта, чертаRussian
  • osobina, značajkaSerbo-Croatian
  • karakteristikëAlbanian
  • karakteristik, karakteristisk, karakteristikum, kännetecknandeSwedish
  • 特点Chinese

Get even more translations for characteristic »

Translation

Find a translation for the characteristic definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"characteristic." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Web. 8 Dec. 2023. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/characteristic>.

Discuss these characteristic definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for characteristic? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    lacking in nutritive value
    • A. ostensive
    • B. commensal
    • C. inexpiable
    • D. jejune

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for characteristic: