Meanings
comparative more uncharacteristic · superlative most uncharacteristic
- Not characteristic.
- Out of character; behavior that is unusual for a given person or thing.
The decision to preannounce an unproven technology was an uncharacteristic one for Intel, said G. Dan Hutcheson, president of VLSI Research Inc., and a longtime observer of the company.
2004 November 29, John Markoff, “The Disco Ball of Failed Hopes and Other Tales From Inside Intel”, in The New York Times
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivedistinctive and not typical
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Germanic*un-
- Proto-West Germanic*un-
- Old Englishun-
- Middle Englishun-
- Englishun-
- Ancient Greekχαράσσω (kharássō)
- Ancient Greekχαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr)
- Ancient Greekχαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō)
- Ancient Greekχᾰρᾰκτηριστῐκός (khărăktēristĭkós)
- Englishcharacteristic
- Englishuncharacteristic
From un- + characteristic.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нехарактерен
- нехарактерен (neharakteren)not characteristic
Danish ukarakteristisk, ukarakteristisk
- ukarakteristisknot characteristic
- ukarakteristiskbehavior that is unusual for a given person or thing
Cite this entry
uncharacteristic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uncharacteristic
“uncharacteristic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uncharacteristic. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “uncharacteristic,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/uncharacteristic.
Source: uncharacteristic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.