defining characteristic
collocation in Englishmeaningsofdefiningandcharacteristic
These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withcharacteristic.
defining
adjective
uk/dɪˈfaɪ.nɪŋ/us/dɪˈfaɪ.nɪŋ/
A defining moment, feature, etc. is so important that it is or becomes part of the basic meaning or description of ...
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characteristic
noun[C]
uk/ˌkær.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/us/ˌker.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/
a typical or noticeable quality of someone ...
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(Definition ofdefiningandcharacteristicfrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)
Examplesofdefining characteristic
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Early working was the norm for children in households without a father's earnings, in fact it was adefiningcharacteristicof their situation.
From theCambridge English Corpus
All materials have sources, but they are rarely adefiningcharacteristic.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The use of shared specialist terminologies has to be adefiningcharacteristic.
From theCambridge English Corpus
For example, to state that a person is overweight may be viewed as circumstantial or as adefiningcharacteristic.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Their vandalism was no more than an example of that disorder and irrationality held by elites to be adefiningcharacteristicof the lower orders.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Ability to read and write was regarded as adefiningcharacteristicof "civilizedness".
From theCambridge English Corpus
Adefiningcharacteristicof these systems of economic citizenship was their close association, even inherent link, to the nation state.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Moral pluralism, so characteristic of contemporary, secular societies, is adefiningcharacteristicfor contemporary medicine and an important characteristic for understanding the role of patients.
From theCambridge English Corpus
By concentrating on the importance of the sources of machine power as thedefiningcharacteristicof industrialism, scholars have overlooked alternative paths to industrial change.
From theCambridge English Corpus
First and foremost, as we see here, thedefiningcharacteristicof jahiliyya is that it - rejects divine authority for human authority.
From theCambridge English Corpus
That is thedefiningcharacteristicof his addiction.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Most importantly, the centraldefiningcharacteristicof the new rightist groups has become a concrete physical racism.
From theCambridge English Corpus
In this sense, human grammar is adefiningcharacteristicof our species.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Anotherdefiningcharacteristicof parameter setting is that it is incremental.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Thedefiningcharacteristicthat corresponds with the spirit of postmodernism is the understanding of the nature of the organism as decentered and indeterminate.
From theCambridge English Corpus
It is thedefiningcharacteristicof linguistic philosophy to elevate language as a social system over the individual speech act or item of literature.
From theCambridge English Corpus
It is precisely such a charge - that selfishness, self-gratification, is thedefiningcharacteristic of all eating - that the discourse of dining attempts to dispel.
From theCambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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