characteristic vs similar

characteristic

adj
  • Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing. 

noun
  • A distinguishing feature of a person or thing. 

  • For a given field or ring, a natural number that is either the smallest positive number n such that n instances of the multiplicative identity (1) summed together yield the additive identity (0) or, if no such number exists, the number 0. 

  • The integer part of a logarithm. 

  • The distinguishing features of a navigational light on a lighthouse etc by which it can be identified (colour, pattern of flashes etc.). 

similar

adj
  • Having traits or characteristics in common; alike, comparable. 

  • Of geometrical figures including triangles, squares, ellipses, arcs and more complex figures, having the same shape but possibly different size, rotational orientation, and position; in particular, having corresponding angles equal and corresponding line segments proportional; such that one can be had from the other using a sequence of rotations, translations and scalings. 

  • Of two square matrices; being such that a conjugation sends one matrix to the other. 

noun
  • That which is similar to, or resembles, something else, as in quality, form, etc. 

  • A material that produces an effect that resembles the symptoms of a particular disease. 

How often have the words characteristic and similar occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )