characteristic
Also characteristical. pertaining to, constituting, or indicating the character or peculiar quality of a person or thing; typical; distinctive: Red and gold are the characteristic colors of autumn.
a distinguishing feature or quality: Generosity is his chief characteristic.
Mathematics.
the integral part of a common logarithm.: Compare mantissa.
the exponent of 10 in a number expressed in scientific notation.
the smallest positive integer n such that each element of a given ring added to itself n times results in 0.
Origin of characteristic
1synonym study For characteristic
Other words for characteristic
Other words from characteristic
- char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- non·char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjective
- non·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- qua·si-char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjective
- qua·si-char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
- un·char·ac·ter·is·tic, adjective
- un·char·ac·ter·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use characteristic in a sentence
For most characteristics, it looks like genetics are much more important than parenting.
Why We Judge People Based on Their Relatives - Facts So Romantic | Diana Fleischman | November 11, 2020 | NautilusSome types of people may be more likely to answer a survey than others, which pollsters work to correct for in the way they draw samples and by weighting samples to match population demographics or political characteristics.
How polling works and how it’s changed since 2016 | Scott Clement, Emily Guskin | October 29, 2020 | Washington PostThe participants who received the drug had different characteristics from those who didn’t, which makes it difficult to determine whether the results are due to the drug or other factors.
The arthritis drug tocilizumab doesn’t appear to help fight COVID-19 | Aimee Cunningham | October 23, 2020 | Science NewsThese same characteristics are associated with creativity when one is fully awake.
The Neurology of Flow States - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain | Heather Berlin | October 14, 2020 | NautilusMapping is, without a doubt, a notable characteristic of many sensory and cognitive systems.
Our Mind-Boggling Sense of Smell - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain | Ann-Sophie Barwich | October 14, 2020 | Nautilus
There were the bevvy of performances promoting Beyoncé, too, which were characteristically spectacular.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year | Kevin Fallon | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBy the time the No Smoking sign flashes off, both of the Allmans are fast asleep, their mouths characteristically ajar.
Stacks: Hitting the Note with the Allman Brothers Band | Grover Lewis | March 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs he walked briskly into the Situation Room last Wednesday, he characteristically wasted little time on small talk.
Obama’s Defining Fight: How He Will Take On the NSA’s Surveillance State in 2014 | Daniel Klaidman | December 31, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTPresident Obama has been characteristically eloquent in his reasoning.
To Be or Not To Be…A Loser: Boehner’s Hamlet Moment | Joe McLean | October 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBernanke had words for these folks, too, though they were characteristically indirect.
Stock Market Soars on Fed’s Bond-Buying Announcement | Daniel Gross | September 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMalarial parasites stain characteristically: the cytoplasm, sky-blue; the chromatin, reddish-purple.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddCharacteristically, there was charged to expense for the whole transaction a sum that a very ordinary man could earn in a week.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandCharacteristically, this weakness seems to have taken the form of a too-generous estimate of his fellows.
The Fatal Dowry | Philip MassingerCustom limited its use to the house and it went characteristically with the tunic , when that was not covered by an outer garment.
The Private Life of the Romans | Harold Whetstone JohnstonCaptain Funcke glanced at it with curiosity, but characteristically forebore to ask any questions.
Average Jones | Samuel Hopkins Adams
British Dictionary definitions for characteristic
/ (ˌkærɪktəˈrɪstɪk) /
a distinguishing quality, attribute, or trait
maths
the integral part of a common logarithm, indicating the order of magnitude of the associated number: the characteristic of 2.4771 is 2 Compare mantissa
another name for exponent, used esp in number representation in computing
indicative of a distinctive quality, etc; typical
Derived forms of characteristic
- characteristically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for characteristic
[ kăr′ək-tə-rĭs′tĭk ]
The part of a logarithm to the base 10 that is to the left of the decimal point. For example, if 2.749 is a logarithm, 2 is the characteristic. Compare mantissa.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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