Meaning & use
unique feature
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Meanings
nouncountable
A quality or part of something that no other thing has, making it special and easy to notice.
Grammar: Countable, so use a/an or a plural: a unique feature, several unique features.
Patterns
- a unique feature of something
- something has a unique feature
- one of the unique features of something
The long curved roof is a unique feature of the new library.
One unique feature of this phone is that it works underwater.
Tourists come to see the unique features of the old town, especially its painted houses.
nouncountable
Something that only one person, place, or thing has, often used when comparing two things.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of' to name the thing it belongs to: a unique feature of the system.
Patterns
- a unique feature of something
- the unique feature that makes something different
A unique feature of her writing is the way she mixes humor with sadness.
The garden's most unique feature is a tree that flowers twice a year.
Word forms
| plural | unique features |
|---|
Common combinations
- a unique feature of
- A unique feature of the island is its black sand beaches.
- one of the unique features
- One of the unique features of the design is the hidden door.
- share a unique feature
- Both buildings share a unique feature: a round central hall.
- the most unique feature
- The most unique feature of the car is its glass roof.
- a unique feature that
- It has a unique feature that lets you charge it by hand.
Synonyms and how they differ
- characteristic
- A neutral word for any typical quality; 'unique feature' stresses that nothing else has it.
- trademark
- Used figuratively for a very typical feature of a person or thing, often one they are known for.
- specialty
- Often means a skill or product someone is known for, rather than a physical part of a thing.
Opposites
Word family
- uniquely adverb
- In a way that is special to one thing only.
- uniqueness noun
- The quality of being the only one of its kind.
- feature noun
- Any noticeable part or quality of something.
Commonly confused: unique feature or unique?
unique feature vs unique
'Unique' is the adjective (a unique design); 'unique feature' is the noun phrase for the quality itself.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A unique feature' needs the article 'a', and a colon or 'that' can introduce the detail. Option 1 drops the article, option 2 adds the wrong preposition, and option 3 uses the wrong verb pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unique feature”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.