quality

[ kwol-i-tee ]

/ ˈkwɒl ɪ ti /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR quality ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural qual·i·ties.

an essential or distinctive characteristic, property, or attribute: the chemical qualities of alcohol.

character or nature, as belonging to or distinguishing a thing: the quality of a sound.

character with respect to fineness, or grade of excellence: food of poor quality; silks of fine quality.

high grade; superiority; excellence: wood grain of quality.

a personality or character trait: kindness is one of her many good qualities.

native excellence or superiority.

an accomplishment or attainment.

good or high social position: a man of quality.

the superiority or distinction associated with high social position.

Acoustics. the texture of a tone, dependent on its overtone content, that distinguishes it from others of the same pitch and loudness.

Phonetics. the tonal color, or timbre, that characterizes a particular vowel sound.

Logic. the character of a proposition as affirmative or negative.

Thermodynamics. the proportion or percentage of vapor in a mixture of liquid and vapor, as wet steam.

social status or position.

a person of high social position: He's quality, that one is.

adjective

of or having superior quality: quality paper.

producing or providing products or services of high quality or merit: a quality publisher.

of or occupying high social status: a quality family.

marked by a concentrated expenditure of involvement, concern, or commitment: Counselors are urging that working parents try to spend more quality time with their children.

Origin of quality

1250–1300; Middle English qualite < Old French < Latin quālitās, equivalent to quāl(is) of what sort + -itās -ity

SYNONYMS FOR quality

1 trait, character, feature.

3 nature, kind, grade, sort, condition.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR quality ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for quality

1. Quality, attribute, property agree in meaning a particular characteristic (of a person or thing). A quality is a characteristic, innate or acquired, that, in some particular, determines the nature and behavior of a person or thing: naturalness as a quality; the quality of meat. An attribute was originally a quality attributed, usually to a person or something personified; more recently it has meant a fundamental or innate characteristic: an attribute of God; attributes of a logical mind. Property applies only to things; it means a characteristic belonging specifically in the constitution of, or found (invariably) in, the behavior of a thing: physical properties of uranium or of limestone.

OTHER WORDS FROM quality

qual·i·ty·less, adjective non·qual·i·ty, noun, plural non·qual·i·ties. sub·qual·i·ty, noun, plural sub·qual·i·ties.

Words nearby quality

qualifier, qualify, qualitative, qualitative analysis, qualitative identity, quality, quality assurance, quality circle, quality control, quality factor, quality point

Example sentences from the Web for qualities

But the qualities Mario Cuomo brought to public life—compassion, integrity, commitment to principle—remain in short supply today.

President Cuomo Would’ve Been a Lion |Jonathan Alter |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
“We look for the qualities that are evocative of V.S.O.P Privilege,” explained Hennessy Senior Vice President Rodney Williams.

Streetwear pioneer, visionary entrepreneur, and community mentor Daymond John is honored with Hennessy Privilege Award |Hennessy |January 1, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
But what about stuff that has no obvious redeeming qualities to it?

Yes, Your Toddler Can Watch TV: The New Rules for Screen Time |Russell Saunders |December 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So I was happy to see that the European theory of terroir was in action, promoting with pride the qualities of a specific region.

Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries |Clive Irving |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

A popular general was president, “celebrated for qualities other than moral enthusiasm.”

How Rock and Roll Killed Jim Crow |Dennis McNally |October 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
No man should allow himself to recommend another for qualities which he knows he does not possess.

The Book of Business Etiquette |Nella Henney
My qualities are projected through the wrong end of a telescope and the world perceives me far smaller than I really am.

Mortal Coils |Aldous Huxley
But more important to the historian of literature even than the development of qualities is the evolution of types.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6 |Various
Experiments prove that the qualities most highly excited in animals prior to their union are most fully transmitted.

Private Sex Advice to Women |R. B. Armitage
They grew bolder and stalked stiffly about him, appraising his qualities with eye and nose.

The Yellow Horde |Hal G. Evarts

British Dictionary definitions for qualities

quality

/ (ˈkwɒlɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

a distinguishing characteristic, property, or attribute

the basic character or nature of something

a trait or feature of personality

degree or standard of excellence, esp a high standard

(formerly) high social status or the distinction associated with it

musical tone colour; timbre

logic the characteristic of a proposition that is dependent on whether it is affirmative or negative

phonetics the distinctive character of a vowel, determined by the configuration of the mouth, tongue, etc, when it is articulated and distinguished from the pitch and stress with which it is uttered

(modifier) having or showing excellence or superiority a quality product

Word Origin for quality

C13: from Old French qualité, from Latin quālitās state, nature, from quālis of what sort

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

quality

noun, plural qual·i·ties.

adjective

Origin of quality

SYNONYMS FOR quality

synonym study for quality

OTHER WORDS FROM quality

Words nearby quality

Example sentences from the Web for qualities

British Dictionary definitions for qualities

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for quality

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

quality

noun, plural qual·i·ties.

adjective

Origin of quality

SYNONYMS FOR quality

synonym study for quality

OTHER WORDS FROM quality

Words nearby quality

Words related to qualities

Example sentences from the Web for qualities

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for qualities

noun plural -ties

Word Origin for quality

British Dictionary definitions for qualities