characteristics
B1Neutral to formal; common in academic, scientific, business, and everyday descriptive contexts.
Definition
Meaning
A distinguishing quality, trait, or feature of a person, group, or thing.
The set of features that defines the nature, identity, or typical behaviour of something; often used to classify or describe.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Always plural in this sense. Refers to multiple attributes collectively. The singular 'characteristic' refers to one such feature.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage.
Connotations
Neutral in both varieties. Slightly more formal than 'features' or 'traits'.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in academic writing in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
have [the] characteristics ofdisplay/show characteristicsshare characteristics (with)be characterised by [characteristics]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A characteristic of the breed/job/place.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in marketing to describe product differentiators or in HR for personality assessments.
Academic
Frequent in scientific papers to describe experimental subjects, species, or data sets.
Everyday
Describing people's personalities or the qualities of everyday objects.
Technical
In engineering for specifications; in psychology for behavioural profiles.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The defining characteristics of a good council estate include strong community ties.
- One of the characteristics of the British summer is its unpredictability.
American English
- Key characteristics of a successful startup are agility and innovation.
- The physical characteristics of the terrain made construction difficult.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Dogs and wolves share some characteristics.
- What are the characteristics of your best friend?
- The report listed the main characteristics of the new product.
- One of his characteristics is that he's always on time.
- The study aimed to identify the demographic characteristics of the participants.
- These artifacts share characteristics with others found in the region.
- The political movement was defined by a complex set of ideological characteristics.
- The novel's prose has characteristics typical of modernism, including fragmentation and subjective narration.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'A character has CHARACTERISTICS.' Just as a fictional character has defining traits, so does any person or object.
Conceptual Metaphor
FEATURES ARE POSSESSIONS ('It has these characteristics'), ESSENCE IS A LIST ('Its characteristics include...').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation of 'характеристика' which is a singular document/reference. In English, 'characteristics' are plural traits, not a single report.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as an uncountable noun (e.g., 'much characteristics').
- Confusing with 'characteristic' (singular).
- Misspelling as 'caracteristics'.
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'characteristics' correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Always plural in the sense of 'distinguishing features'. The singular is 'a characteristic'.
'Characteristics' is broader and can refer to any object or concept. 'Personality' refers specifically to the combination of emotional, behavioural, and mental traits of a person.
Yes, it's very common. E.g., 'The technical characteristics of the phone include a long battery life.'
It is neutral but precise. It's suitable for academic and professional writing but also common in everyday speech.