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

Wildlife officials strongly believe Kaydee is female based on her size and other characteristics. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 That’s a company that can scrape off personally identifying characteristics. — Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Notable among the findings is a road at least ¾ of a mile long with features, including a zigzagging route, characteristic of Inca construction. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Its characteristic frequency could be adjusted across a range of more than 10 times. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 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

Netflix has worked assiduously to burnish its reputation as a home for advertisers seeking to align themselves with its popular programs and eager to avoid the traditional model of deploying typical 30-second commercials.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
However, this gets an all-new rear suspension with leaf springs; that setup allows for a greater payload than a typical torsion beam axle.

— Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of typical

Noun

Japan has selected Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s luminously cerebral French-language feature All of a Sudden as its submission for the best international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, All Of A Sudden, has been selected as Japan’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of feature

Adjective

Lee said her ultimate vision is to use BodyCodes to filter search results for the user, so she will only be served jeans from brands that fit her distinct shape.

— Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Tel-Rea, the Jedi character, is almost entirely melee-focused, but comes with her own entirely distinct skills and combat abilities, essentially requiring you to build your party around her.

— Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 26 Aug. 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

In proof-of-concept tests, the intense heat turned the raw materials into cement clinker within seconds, nearly 100 times faster than standard production.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Porsche also offers a carbon-ceramic brake package for those who would prefer to go that route, but the standard setup offers very little to complain about.

— Bradley Iger, ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of standard

Browse Nearby Words

charactering

characteristic

characteristics

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“Characteristic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/characteristic. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of characteristic

noun

adjective

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