What does characteristic mean?
Word: Characteristic
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Characteristic means a typical quality that helps you recognise a person or thing; as an adjective, typical of someone or something.
Synonyms: quality, trait, typical
Antonyms: uncharacteristic, unusual
Word origin: Comes from Greek kharakteristikos, 'marking out' or 'distinctive'.
How do you spell characteristic?
Syllables: char - ac - ter - is - tic
Tricky part: The ch sounds like k, the vowels go a, a, e, i, i, and the whole of character stays before -istic.
Watch out for: charecteristic, charactaristic, charactoristic
Memory tip: Write character in full, then add istic, as artist turns into artistic.
Characteristic in a sentence
Example 1: Long ears are a characteristic of this breed of goat.
Example 2: It was characteristic of Felix to share his lunch with anyone who forgot theirs.
Example 3: Write down three characteristics of a good leader.
Fun Fact
Character first meant a mark stamped on a coin or seal, and later a letter or sign used in writing. That is why the letters and symbols on a computer are still called characters.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
A characteristic of the male peafowl is its shimmering tail, which it spreads in a magnifisent fan.
a) shimmering
b) spreads
c) characteristic
d) magnifisent
Show answer
d) magnifisent. The misspelt word has an s where it needs a c, before ent.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word characteristic as used in the sentence:
Bright colours and bold patterns are a characteristic of Madhubani paintings from Bihar.
a) feature
b) flaw
c) price
d) frame
Show answer
a) feature. A characteristic is a typical feature.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. curiosity 2. ambision 3. characteristic 4. reputation
a) what people generally think of someone
b) a mark or quality that sets someone apart
c) a strong wish to achieve something
d) a strong wish to know or learn
Show answer
c) a strong wish to achieve something. Ambision should have a t where the s is; the other three are spelt correctly.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
Patience is a rcitascarethic of every good teacher.
a) characterise
b) catastrophic
c) charismatic
d) characteristic
Show answer
d) characteristic. Characterise is two letters short, and charismatic and catastrophic are shorter too; all fourteen letters make characteristic.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which is a characteristic of all birds?
a) They have feathers.
b) They live near water.
c) They can fly at night.
d) They eat only seeds.
Show answer
a) They have feathers.
2. If shyness is characteristic of Lucas, it is ____.
a) new to him
b) rare for him
c) unknown to him
d) usual for him
Show answer
d) usual for him
