char‧ac‧ter‧is‧tic 1 S3 W2 / kærəktərɪstɪk◂, kærɪktərɪstɪk◂ / 名词 [可数名词，通常复数]
a quality or feature of something or someone that is typical of them and easy to recognize
characteristic of
a baby discovering the physical characteristics of objects
defining/distinguishing characteristic (= one that separates someone or something from others of the same type )
Violent images are a defining characteristic of his work.
COLLOCATIONS
形容词
a physical characteristic physical characteristics such as your height and weight
a personal characteristic (= relating to someone’s character ) What are the personal characteristics that a leader requires?
a human characteristic The power of speech is an entirely human characteristic.
a national characteristic (= typical of the people of a country ) Organization is often seen as a German national characteristic.
the main characteristic of something A new interest in art was one of the main characteristics of this period.
a common characteristic (= that people or things share ) Successful firms tend to have common characteristics.
a distinguishing/distinctive characteristic (= separating someone or something from others of the same type ) The blue feathers are the distinguishing characteristic of the male bird.
a defining characteristic (= one that is necessary in order to be a particular type of person or thing ) Originality is one of the defining characteristics of a great band.
an important/essential characteristic An essential characteristic of good teaching is that it must create interest in the learner.
an inherited characteristic Intelligence is an inherited characteristic.
a striking characteristic Its canals are one of Amsterdam’s most striking characteristics.
动词
have a characteristic ( also possess a characteristic formal ) He has all the characteristics of a great husband.
show a characteristic ( also exhibit a characteristic formal ) A material may exhibit the characteristics of both a liquid and a solid.
share a characteristic The group shared one characteristic - they were all under 25.
inherit a characteristic (= get a characterstic from your parent ) We all inherit physical characteristics from our parents.
THESAURUS
characteristic something that is typical of someone or something and makes them easy to recognize : He had several characteristics which made him different to the rest of his family. | the physical characteristics of the brain | He studied the special characteristics of adult speech addressed to children.
quality a characteristic of a person, especially a good one such as kindness or intelligence : Tina has a lot of good qualities. | I’m not sure about his leadership qualities. | Obedience is a quality that my father admires.
feature an important or interesting characteristic of something : it seems to be a feature of modern society that we tend to judge ourselves by our work above everything else. | A curious feature of the novel is the absence of women. | The building still has many of its original features.
property [通常复数形式] technical a characteristic of a substance or object, for example hardness or elasticity, or how it behaves - used especially in scientific contexts : We examined the physical properties of various metals. | changes in the electrical properties of cells | Some plants have healing properties.
attribute formal a good or useful characteristic : I suspected I probably did not quite possess all the attributes required to succeed at the highest level. | All living things are able to reproduce their kind, an attribute which no machine possesses..
good/bad points good or bad characteristics – used when someone or something has both good and bad characteristics : The seller will obviously emphasize the car’s good points. | Draw up a list of your partner’s good and bad points.