CHARACTERISTIC Synonyms: 149 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'characteristic' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of characteristic are distinctive , individual , and peculiar . While all these words mean "indicating a special quality or identity," characteristic applies to something that distinguishes or identifies a person or thing or class. // responded with her characteristic wit

Q: When could 'distinctive' be used to replace 'characteristic'?

While in some cases nearly identical to characteristic , distinctive indicates qualities distinguishing and uncommon and often superior or praiseworthy. // a distinctive aura of grace and elegance

Q: When can 'individual' be used instead of 'characteristic'?

Although the words individual and characteristic have much in common, individual stresses qualities that distinguish one from all other members of the same kind or class. // a highly individual writing style

Q: When might 'peculiar' be a better fit than 'characteristic'?

The meanings of peculiar and characteristic largely overlap; however, peculiar applies to qualities possessed only by a particular individual or class or kind and stresses rarity or uniqueness. // an eccentricity that is peculiar to the British

characteristic 1 of 2

noun

ˌker-ik-tə-ˈri-stik

Definition of characteristic

as in trait

something that sets apart an individual from others of the same kind the ability to fashion tools and other characteristics that distinguish human beings from other animals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

characteristic

2 of 2

adjective

as in distinctive

serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group the characteristic taste of licorice

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in typical

having or showing the qualities associated with the members of a particular group or kind the characteristic wit and good-naturedness of the Irish

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective characteristic contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of characteristic are distinctive, individual, and peculiar. While all these words mean "indicating a special quality or identity," characteristic applies to something that distinguishes or identifies a person or thing or class.

responded with her characteristic wit

When could distinctive be used to replace characteristic?

While in some cases nearly identical to characteristic, distinctive indicates qualities distinguishing and uncommon and often superior or praiseworthy.

a distinctive aura of grace and elegance

When can individual be used instead of characteristic?

Although the words individual and characteristic have much in common, individual stresses qualities that distinguish one from all other members of the same kind or class.

a highly individual writing style

When might peculiar be a better fit than characteristic?

The meanings of peculiar and characteristic largely overlap; however, peculiar applies to qualities possessed only by a particular individual or class or kind and stresses rarity or uniqueness.

an eccentricity that is peculiar to the British

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of characteristic

Noun

That combination closely reflects that many older adults still want a smaller and easier home, but place a premium on independence, neighborhood, social connection and the characteristics of conventional residential living. — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026 Nike Aero-Fit offers high-crimp yarn for breathability, anti-cling characteristics and greater airflow that more conventional athletic wear. — David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Blow-dry the front sections away from the face to create the characteristic roundness and make the individual layers visible. — Lucy Binder, Glamour, 30 Aug. 2026 But the link was far less clear between dementia and lower stages of CTE, or even those whose brains had been found to be free of the disease's characteristic buildups of tau protein. — Becky Sullivan, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for characteristic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for characteristic

Noun

This suggests an inherent bias from the LLM's Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) training, where human input inadvertently promotes traits like curiosity.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Craig was extremely productive at Harvard and has NFL-caliber traits with his size, mobility and throw power.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of trait

Adjective

These challenging conditions are precisely what make a summer off-road safari such a distinctive way to experience Iceland’s rugged interior.

— Gwen Nicol, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
Meghna Gulzar has a very distinctive voice and an ability to approach difficult subjects with both restraint and intensity.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of distinctive

Adjective

Its technology has also reached production at volumes far beyond typical nuclear manufacturing.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
On top of that over the last two weeks of August, a trough over the eastern Pacific was bringing in even heavier rain than typical for multiple days in a row, Weiss said.

— Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of typical

Noun

The Grand Highlander has the roomiest third row of the three family SUVs and the Telluride is the best in terms of cabin quality, standard tech and features.

— Charles Singh, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Since this is an Android Drop rather than a Pixel Drop, these features are coming to a wider range of devices.

— Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of feature

Adjective

Transplants of muscle stem cells are a promising avenue for research, having distinct advantages over other tissues in their ability to encourage the growth of new blood vessels and limitations on rapid growth.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, active adult rental has begun to emerge as a distinct property type.

— Nia Bowers, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of distinct

Adjective

Although Edouard is not forecast to become a hurricane, the hurricane center has warned coastal residents to closely monitor the forecast as the storm is in an area of warmer than normal water and low wind shear, which favor strengthening.

— Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
That change was introduced to help give club staff working across transfer departments a more normal working pattern.

— Leon Imber, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of normal

Noun

Collectively, the launches position sustainability as one performance attribute among several—including comfort, opacity, cooling and durability—rather than as a standalone proposition.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
And Cullen is the reason Optimus Prime retained the attributes fans love so much about that character.

— Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of attribute

Adjective

The advancing gas front improves sweep efficiency by penetrating tight, unreached reservoir compartments that standard water-injection floods bypass during secondary extraction campaigns.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
The stock Dax is a practical urban commuter that comes standard with a clutch-free semi-automatic transmission.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of standard

Browse Nearby Words

charactering

characteristic

characteristics

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Characteristic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characteristic. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of characteristic

noun

adjective

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