Definition of “characteristic” - English Dictionary

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“characteristic” in English

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characteristicnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ˌkær.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/ us ​ /ˌker.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/

B2 a typical or noticeable quality of someone or something:

Unfortunately a big nose is a family characteristic.
Sentimentality seems a characteristic of all the writers of that period.
The male bird displays (= has) several characteristics which distinguish him from the female.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

characteristicadjective

uk ​ /ˌkær.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/ us ​ /ˌker.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/
characteristically
adverb uk ​ /ˌkær.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪ.kəl.i/ us ​ /ˌker.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪ.kəl.i/

›

She gave a characteristically skilful performance.

(Definition of “characteristic” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“characteristic” in American English

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characteristicadjective

us ​ /ˌkær·ək·təˈrɪs·tɪk/

characteristic adjective (QUALITY)

› typical of a person or thing:

The creamy richness is characteristic of cheese from this region.

characteristicnoun [ C ]

us ​ /ˌkær·ɪk·təˈrɪs·tɪk/

characteristic noun [ C ] (QUALITY)

› a typical or noticeable feature of someone or something:

Curly hair is one of my family characteristics.
Her distinguishing characteristic is perseverance.

(Definition of “characteristic” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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