quality
quality
noun
OPAL W OPAL S
/ˈkwɒləti/
(plural qualities)
1 uncountable, countable the standard of something when it is compared to other things like it; how good or bad something is
Improving the quality of care for nursing home residents is a priority.
When costs are cut product quality suffers.
of… quality The soil here is of poor quality.
The food is fresh and of good quality.
His goal was of top quality.
goods of a high quality
high-quality goods
in quality a decline in water quality
We have seen a marked improvement in the quality of service provided.
SEE ALSO air quality
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
excellent
exceptional
good
verb + quality
maintain
enhance
improve
quality + verb
vary
improve
go down
quality + noun
control
assurance
standards
preposition
of…quality
phrases
quality of life
2 uncountable a high standard
SYNONYM excellence
We aim to provide quality at reasonable prices.
They need to decrease costs while maintaining quality.
of quality contemporary writers of quality
Get it right, even if it takes time; it's quality not quantity that matters.
SEE ALSO total quality management
3 countable a thing that is part of a person’s character, especially something good
personal qualities such as honesty and generosity
to have leadership qualities
She has all the qualities of a good teacher.
It's hard to find people with the right qualities for the job.
He has a lot of good qualities.
TOPICS Personal qualities B1
Collocations Dictionary
adjective
admirable
desirable
endearing
verb + quality
have
possess
display
4 ​countable, uncountable a feature of somebody/something, especially one that makes them different from somebody/something else
the special quality of light and shade in her paintings
His voice has a rich, melodic quality.
5 ​(also more frequent quality newspaper) (British English) countable a newspaper that deals seriously with issues and has a high standard of editing and comment
quality
adjective
/ˈkwɒləti/
1 ​only before noun used especially by people trying to sell goods or services to say that something is of a high quality
We specialize in quality furniture.
quality service at a competitive price
Try our top range of quality products.
We offer a quality service to all customers.
2 ​(British English, slang) very good
‘What was the film like?’ ‘Quality!’
Word Origin
Middle English (in the senses ‘character, disposition’ and ‘particular property or feature’): from Old French qualite, from Latin qualitas (translating Greek poiotēs), from qualis ‘of what kind, of such a kind’.