hallmark
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A distinctive characteristic or attribute.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hahlmahrkSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɑlmɑɹk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A distinctive characteristic or attribute
An official marking made by a trusted party, usually an assay office, on items made of precious metals.
figurative
A distinguishing characteristic.
Ellipsis of Hallmark Cards.
verb
To provide or stamp with a hallmark.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A distinctive characteristic or attribute
Used this way, hallmark is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use hallmark
- “The golden arches are the hallmark of that famous fast-food restaurant.”noun
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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: distinctive characteristic or attribute
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.