characteristic

noun

A distinguishing feature of a person or thing, a part of mental or physical behavior.

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

(mathematics) The integer part of a logarithm.

(algebra, field theory, ring theory) 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.

adjective

Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing.

Roots

charaktercharact- · Greek · engraved mark

Synonyms for characteristic

featuren traitn distinctiveadj peculiarityn idiocrasyadj idiosyncrasyn distinguishingv peculiaradj typicaladj idiosyncraticadj particularityn typal characterizingv emblematicadj

Synonyms & related words for characteristic

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of characteristic — including feature, trait, distinctive, peculiarity, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to characteristic

Explore words related to characteristic — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include characteristically, indistinctive, uncharacteristic, charactery, characterized, distinctiveness, distinctively, peculiarize. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for characteristic

Common synonyms for characteristic include feature, trait, distinctive, peculiarity, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, distinguishing, peculiar — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does characteristic come from?

The word characteristic breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root charact-, from Greek charakter (“engraved mark”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.