Adjacent Words

Quality definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

QUAL'ITY, n. [L. qualitas, from qualis, such.]
1. Property; that which belongs to a body or substance, or can be predicated of it. Qualities are natural or accidental. thus whiteness is a natural quality of snow; softness is a natural quality of wool and fur; hardness is a natural quality of metals and wood; figure and dimension are the natural qualities of solids; but a particular figure, as a cube, a square or a sphere, is an accidental or adventitious quality. The fluidity of metals is an accidental quality. Essential qualities are such as are necessary to constitute a thing what it is. Sensible qualities are such as are perceptible to the senses, as the light of the sun, the color of cloth, the taste of salt or sugar, etc.
2. Nature, relatively considered; as the quality of an action, in regard to right and wrong.
Other creatures have not judgment to examine the quality of that which is done by them.
3. Virtue or particular power of producing certain effects; as the qualities of plants or medicines.
4. Disposition; temper.
Tonight we'll wander through the streets, and note the qualities of people.
5. Virtue or vice; as good qualities, or bad qualities.
6. Acquirement; accomplishment; as the qualities of horsemanship, dancing and fencing.
7. Character.
The attorney partakes of both qualities, that of a judge of the court, and that of attorney general.
8. Comparative rank; condition in relation to others; as people of every quality.
We obtained acquaintance with many citizens, not of the meanest quality.
9. Superior rank; superiority of birth or station; as persons of quality; ladies of quality.
10. Persons of high rank, collectively.
I shall appear at the masquerade dressed up in my feathers, that the quality may see how pretty they will look in their traveling habits.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of superior grade; "choice wines"; "prime beef"; "prize carnations"; "quality paper"; "select peaches" [syn: choice, prime, prize, quality, select]
2: of high social status; "people of quality"; "a quality family" n
1: an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"-- Shakespeare
2: a degree or grade of excellence or worth; "the quality of students has risen"; "an executive of low caliber" [syn: quality, caliber, calibre]
3: a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something; "each town has a quality all its own"; "the radical character of our demands" [syn: quality, character, lineament]
4: (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet" [syn: timbre, timber, quality, tone]
5: high social status; "a man of quality"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural -ties) Etymology: Middle English qualite, from Anglo-French qualité, from Latin qualitat-, qualitas, from qualis of what kind; akin to Latin qui who — more at who Date: 14th century 1. a. peculiar and essential character ; nature <her ethereal quality — Gay Talese> b. an inherent feature ; property <had a quality of stridence, dissonance — Roald Dahl> c. capacity, role <in the quality of reader and companion — Joseph Conrad> 2. a. degree of excellence ; grade <the quality of competing air service — Current Biography> b. superiority in kind <merchandise of quality> 3. a. social status ; rank b. aristocracy 4. a. a distinguishing attribute ; characteristic <possesses many fine qualities> b. archaic an acquired skill ; accomplishment 5. the character in a logical proposition of being affirmative or negative 6. vividness of hue 7. a. timbre b. the identifying character of a vowel sound determined chiefly by the resonance of the vocal chambers in uttering it 8. the attribute of an elementary sensation that makes it fundamentally unlike any other sensation Synonyms: quality, property, character, attribute mean an intelligible feature by which a thing may be identified. quality is a general term applicable to any trait or characteristic whether individual or generic <material with a silky quality>. property implies a characteristic that belongs to a thing's essential nature and may be used to describe a type or species <the property of not conducting heat>. character applies to a peculiar and distinctive quality of a thing or a class <remarks of an unseemly character>. attribute implies a quality ascribed to a thing or a being <the traditional attributes of a military hero>. II. adjective Date: 1936 being of high quality

Britannica Concise

In philosophy, a property that applies to things taken singly, in contrast to a relation, which applies to things taken in pairs, triples, etc. The distinction drawn by Galileo and J. Locke between primary and secondary qualities is motivated by the fact that modern science seems to reveal that unaided sensory perception gives false or incomplete information about the intrinsic qualities of physical objects. Mathematical formulations of physical phenomena seem to indicate that most sensory information may contribute nothing to knowledge of objects. In this view, primary qualities, such as shape, quantity, and motion, are genuine properties of things that are describable by mathematics, whereas secondary qualities, such as odor, taste, sound, color, or warmth, exist only in human consciousness and do not belong to the objects.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 the degree of excellence of a thing (of good quality; poor in quality). 2 a general excellence (their work has quality). b (attrib.) of high quality ( a quality product). 3 a distinctive attribute or faculty; a characteristic trait. 4 the relative nature or kind or character of a thing (is made in three qualities). 5 the distinctive timbre of a voice or sound. 6 archaic high social standing (people of quality). 7 Logic the property of a proposition's being affirmative or negative. Phrases and idioms: quality control a system of maintaining standards in manufactured products by testing a sample of the output against the specification. Etymology: ME f. OF qualité f. L qualitas -tatis f. qualis of what kind

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Quality Qual"i*ty, n.; pl. Qualities. [F. qualit['e], L. qualitas, fr. qualis how constituted, as; akin to E. which. See Which.] 1. The condition of being of such and such a sort as distinguished from others; nature or character relatively considered, as of goods; character; sort; rank. We lived most joyful, obtaining acquaintance with many of the city not of the meanest quality. --Bacon 2. Special or temporary character; profession; occupation; assumed or asserted rank, part, or position. I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary. --Gray. 3. That which makes, or helps to make, anything such as it is; anything belonging to a subject, or predicable of it; distinguishing property, characteristic, or attribute; peculiar power, capacity, or virtue; distinctive trait; as, the tones of a flute differ from those of a violin in quality; the great quality of a statesman. Note: Qualities, in metaphysics, are primary or secondary. Primary are those essential to the existence, and even the conception, of the thing, as of matter or spirit Secondary are those not essential to such a conception. 4. An acquired trait; accomplishment; acquisition. He had those qualities of horsemanship, dancing, and fencing which accompany a good breeding. --Clarendon. 5. Superior birth or station; high rank; elevated character. ``Persons of quality.'' --Bacon. Quality binding, a kind of worsted tape used in Scotland for binding carpets, and the like. The quality, those of high rank or station, as distinguished from the masses, or common people; the nobility; the gentry. I shall appear at the masquerade dressed up in my feathers, that the quality may see how pretty they will look in their traveling habits. --Addison. Syn: Property; attribute; nature; peculiarity; character; sort; rank; disposition; temper.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(qualities) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. The quality of something is how good or bad it is. Everyone can greatly improve the quality of life... Other services vary dramatically in quality. ...high quality paper and plywood. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp 2. Something of quality is of a high standard. ...a college of quality... In our work, quality is paramount. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N n 3. Someone's qualities are the good characteristics that they have which are part of their nature. He wanted to introduce mature people with leadership qualities... N-COUNT: usu pl, usu supp N 4. You can describe a particular characteristic of a person or thing as a quality. ...a childlike quality. ...the pretentious quality of the poetry... N-COUNT: oft adj N 5. The quality papers or the quality press are the more serious newspapers which give detailed accounts of world events, as well as reports on business, culture, and society. (BRIT) Even the quality papers agreed that it was a triumph. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Property, attribute, nature, characteristic, peculiarity, trait. 2. Disposition, humor, temper, mood, character, condition, characteristic. 3. Rank, condition, station, standing, status, character, sort, kind, description, capacity. 4. [With The prefixed.] Nobility, gentry, aristocracy, persons of rank, noblesse. 5. Brand, chop. 6. Part, special character, assumed position.

Moby Thesaurus

Al, Grade A, acquired taste, advantageousness, affection, affirmation, agreeableness, air, ancestry, appreciation of excellence, arete, aristocracy, aristocraticalness, aroma, atmosphere, attribute, aura, auspiciousness, badge, beneficialness, benevolence, benignity, birth, blood, blue blood, blue-ribbon, body-build, brand, cachet, caliber, capacity, cast, character, characteristic, characteristics, choiceness, civilized taste, civilizedness, class, climate, cogency, complexion, composition, condition, configuration, constituents, constitution, crasis, cultivated taste, cultivation, culture, cut, daintiness, delicacy, desert, dharma, diathesis, differentia, differential, dignity, discrimination, disposition, distinction, distinctive feature, earmark, elegance, element, elite, eminence, ethos, excellence, excellency, expedience, factor, fairness, fastidiousness, favorableness, feature, feel, feeling, fiber, figure, fine, fineness, finesse, first-class, first-rate, first-rateness, flavor, flower, footing, frame, genius, genteelness, gentility, gentry, good taste, goodliness, goodness, grace, gracefulness, gracility, graciosity, graciousness, grade, grain, grandeur, gust, habit, hallmark, healthiness, helpfulness, honorable descent, hue, humor, humors, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, ilk, importance, impress, impression, index, individualism, individuality, keynote, kind, kindness, lineaments, makeup, mannerism, mark, marking, merit, milieu, mold, nature, niceness, nicety, nobility, noble birth, nobleness, note, odor, overtone, parameter, part, particularity, patriciate, peculiarity, perfection, physique, place, pleasantness, polish, position, predication, prime, profitableness, prominence, property, quirk, rank, refinement, relation, rewardingness, role, royalty, savor, seal, sense, shape, singularity, situation, skillfulness, smack, society, somatotype, sophistication, sort, soundness, specialty, spirit, stamp, standing, state, station, stature, status, streak, stripe, subtlety, suchness, superbness, superior, superiority, supremacy, system, taint, tang, taste, tastefulness, temper, temperament, tendency, tenor, token, tone, trait, trick, type, undertone, upper class, usefulness, validity, value, vein, virtue, virtuousness, way, wholeness, worth