hallmark
Americannoun
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an official mark or stamp indicating a standard of purity, used in marking gold and silver articles assayed by the Goldsmiths' Company of London; plate mark.
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any mark or special indication of genuineness, good quality, etc.
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any distinguishing feature or characteristic.
Accuracy is a hallmark of good scholarship.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an official series of marks, instituted by statute in 1300, and subsequently modified, stamped by the Guild of Goldsmiths at one of its assay offices on gold, silver, or platinum (since 1975) articles to guarantee purity, date of manufacture, etc
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a mark or sign of authenticity or excellence
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an outstanding or distinguishing feature
verb
Other Word Forms
- hallmarker noun
Etymology
Origin of hallmark
1715–25; Goldsmiths' Hall, London, the seat of the Goldsmiths' Company + mark 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Most significantly, England are finding ways to win here after their winter of discontent – a hallmark of McCullum's first year in charge.
From BBC
Amid pressure from activist investors, Southwest announced sweeping changes a couple of years ago, including the end of its hallmark policies of open seating and no fees for checked baggage.
From MarketWatch
Based on a cult manga, the second installment of a dark trilogy about revenge tackled social inequalities -- a hallmark of Korean cinema.
From Barron's
Based on a cult manga, the second instalment of a dark trilogy about revenge tackled social inequalities -- a hallmark of Korean cinema.
From Barron's
Nimbleness and diversification were also hallmarks of the four other fund families that successfully scaled to our top-five summit in 2025.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
