Characteristic
Characteristic adjective - Serving to identify as belonging to an individual or group.
Universal and characteristic are semantically related. In some cases you can use "Universal" instead an adjective "Characteristic".
Universal
Universal adjective - Able to do many different kinds of things.
Characteristic and universal are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Characteristic" instead an adjective "Universal".
Both words in one sentence
- Take a close look at a Chihuahua and a rat side by side, and it's hard to spot a single characteristic they have in common that's not universal for all mammals.
Source: Right for the Wrong Reasons -
This is a relatively common characteristic on her homeworld of Basiliade (the second inhabitant of Basiliade to appear, Luba, is even more cat-looking than her), but not universal, as shown by the very first of them to appear, the Oracle Himerish, being externally identical to humans.
Source: Cat Folk -
Universal-Adaptor Cast: No matter whether they are children or adults, in space or in the human body or what historical time period they're in, the same characters in their distinctive characteristic roles are always re-used.
Cite this Source
Universal and Characteristic. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/characteristic/universal
Characteristic & Universal. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/characteristic/universal>.
Universal or Characteristic. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/characteristic/universal.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "characteristic" and "universal" have occurred on timeline