How to Use characteristic in a Sentence

characteristic

1 of 2 noun
  • Stockdale was asked, what was the characteristic of the ones who did not make it out of the prison camp?
    Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Sep. 2020
  • That reflects the - the - the - the characteristics of the American people.
    CBS News, 6 Aug. 2023
  • None had more than two of the top seven characteristics on the list.
    Julie Giuffrida, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
  • The weight and flying characteristics — long and able to be curved, short and straight — vary by disc.
    Phil Arvia, Daily Southtown, 27 Apr. 2017
  • And that's a characteristic that is very true to #cloglife.
    Tatum Dooley, Teen Vogue, 22 Aug. 2019
  • The size and characteristics of the stream also are a factor.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 17 Nov. 2019
  • Tara Greene, who helped the brand describe the defining characteristics of the star signs.
    Shannon Barbour, The Cut, 18 Apr. 2018
  • Who’s joining the board? 5 OF 9 The Journal ranked dogs on costs and characteristics.
    Daniel Akst, WSJ, 25 Nov. 2023
  • The defining characteristic of the green that runs away from you is the bunker that protects all of the front hole locations.
    Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2023
  • The lies, a defining characteristic of the Trump years, are piling up yet again.
    Brian Stelter, CNN, 4 Oct. 2020
  • And all these places have their unique quirks and characteristics.
    Shivani Vora, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
  • The defining characteristic of the straw is the emptiness inside it.
    Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic, 21 June 2018
  • It’s got all the elements and characteristics of any Aardman film, with a lot of humor and a lot of heart.
    Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2023
  • And every one of those characteristics applied to those who are serving us in the armed forces.
    Tod Leonard, sandiegouniontribune.com, 28 June 2017
  • The prosthetic can then be tailored to the child's wrist movement, palm characteristics and switched out as the child grows.
    William Thornton, AL.com, 17 Oct. 2017
  • Drop it in a soup, risotto or stew, and the rind melts and permeates the dish with its cheesy, umami characteristic.
    People Staff, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2022
  • Toughness wasn’t the first characteristic that came to mind.
    James Crepea | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2021
  • Tell-tale characteristics of a dry cough include a tickle in the throat and hacking sounds.
    Nicole Harris, Parents, 24 Aug. 2023
  • What are some of the characteristics that are shared by cities who are becoming stronger problem-solvers in this new age?
    Sandra Shea, Philly.com, 19 Jan. 2018
  • The best open kitchen designs share a few key characteristics.
    Alyssa Longobucco, House Beautiful, 1 June 2023
  • The first is agency, a characteristic of the main character in your story (which is you).
    Kristen Rogers, CNN, 18 June 2020
  • Knowing the characteristics of the different types can make or break a project.
    Nancy Keates, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2018
  • But for this transformation to occur, the surge will need to have the right characteristics.
    James Manyika and Michael Spence, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
  • That has been a key characteristic of this team all season.
    Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, 19 Feb. 2021
  • The result is that black rum shares taste characteristics with your favorite whiskeys, but with a touch more sweetness.
    Nikita Richardson, Bon Appetit, 15 Feb. 2017
  • Each has its own characteristics that will transfer flavor to the food.
    Nancy Stohs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 May 2018
  • What are the characteristics of the leaders of the greatest organizations in the world?
    Dominik Szot, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
  • The second characteristic of denial is the use of fake experts.
    Jonathan M. Berman, STAT, 9 Sep. 2020
  • From the street, Russell Brown’s 100-year-old home in Hollywood would seem to have all the characteristics of a historic Craftsman: gabled roofs, warm green earth-tone shingles and a covered porch that leads to the front door.
    Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
  • The orientation of those vibrations enables scientists to pick out vivid details of magnetic field lines and map their characteristics.
    Denise Chow, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
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characteristic

2 of 2 adjective
  • He responded to their comments with characteristic good humor.
  • Note the paleness of the bird instead of the characteristic deep pink the species is known for.
    Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
  • When part of the heart doesn’t get enough blood, the EKG has characteristic changes.
    Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 17 Aug. 2023
  • The characteristic sound of the flat-six floods the cabin through the unique intake path.
    Michael Harley, Robb Report, 23 Mar. 2022
  • But the most characteristic signs of measles — tiny white spots in the mouth and a blotchy rash that spreads from head to toe — don’t appear right away.
    Aria Bendix, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024
  • With her characteristic wit and charm, Cho set a lovely tone for the evening.
    Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2023
  • By Air—and on and on and on—every day with characteristic ease.
    The Editors Of Gq Style, GQ, 24 Oct. 2017
  • Turn and face it with your characteristic sparkle and glow.
    Bess Matassa, Teen Vogue, 7 Apr. 2018
  • Soak them in water to rinse out that funk, and the radish loses some of its characteristic bite.
    Ali Bouzari, SFChronicle.com, 22 June 2018
  • These substances are deposited in the characteristic pattern of the ridges present on the finger tip of the donor.
    Melanie Bailey, Scientific American, 27 Apr. 2018
  • But the woman didn’t have the characteristic tangles of tau.
    Katherine Ellen Foley, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2019
  • Most of the region is still very warm, characteristic of El Niño.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024
  • Its laughable 11-mpg thirst is as charming as the characteristic tremor of a small-block at idle.
    Eric Tingwall, Car and Driver, 21 Mar. 2018
  • The ironic tone is characteristic of Morselli’s books, but there is a nervous edge to the joke.
    Alejandro Chacoff, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2020
  • But the case of how early primates evolved some of their most characteristic traits isn’t closed just yet.
    Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Nov. 2022
  • This species of moth creates the characteristic webbed nests that show up on tree limbs throughout the late summer and fall.
    Kelly O'Sullivan, Country Living, 7 Aug. 2017
  • More characteristic are views in which the ocean is unframed by land, and sometimes not even sky.
    Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022
  • This species of moth creates the characteristic webbed nests that show up on tree limbs throughout the late summer and fall.
    Kelly O'Sullivan, Country Living, 7 Aug. 2017
  • One characteristic trait of men's swim trunks is the mesh liner, but not all swimsuits have it.
    Men's Health, 30 Jan. 2023
  • This is characteristic of flakes formed up high in warmer air.
    Michael Hill, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Mar. 2018
  • But the argument in the book is both pointed and characteristic of Reed.
    Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2022
  • And the characteristic old-fashioned rain gutters and the air extractor above the rear window were nowhere to be found.
    Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 28 July 2023
  • And the examples above are likely to become less anomalous and more characteristic in the months and years to come.
    Deena Shakir, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2021
  • The characteristic symptom of shingles is a painful rash, which often wraps around the left or right side of your torso.
    Korin Miller, SELF, 6 Apr. 2018
  • In the past, did quick chemical tests for cannabinoids and look for characteristic hairs that should be present on any pot plants.
    Keri Blakinger, Houston Chronicle, 3 July 2019
  • Hip-hop and Broadway, stage and film: The breadth of these projects is characteristic of Weber’s career.
    Brian Seibert, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2022
  • The move was also deeply characteristic of the first lady.
    Jackie Mansky, Smithsonian, 11 Oct. 2017
  • Gluten is the stringy strands that give bread dough its stretch and elasticity, and baked bread its characteristic chew.
    Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit, 19 Aug. 2017
  • Derived from 'urbs', meaning 'city', the term 'urbanus' was used to describe something that was characteristic of, or belonged to, the city.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
  • It's got the lemony cream cheese flavor of Southern-favorite treats like lemon cheesecake and lemon-cheese layer cake, while also being able to capture the characteristic airy creaminess of the classic Italian dessert, tiramisu.
    Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'characteristic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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