- quality
- ▪ I. quality qual‧i‧ty 1 [ˈkwɒlti ǁ ˈkwɑː-] noun qualities PLURALFORM1. [countable] something such as courage, intelligence, or loyalty that people may have as part of their character:
• You need special personal qualities to work as a nurse.
2. [countable] something such as size, colour, feel, or weight that makes one thing look different from other things:• The analysis looks at the physical and chemical qualities of the sample.
3. [uncountable] used to talk about how good or bad something is:• the high quality of the service
• She was shocked by the low quality of the healthcare available.
• The bond issues carried triple-A ratings and appealed to individuals looking for high-quality securities.
ˈcredit ˌquality [uncountable]FINANCE a measure of how likely it is that a company selling a bond will be able to make regular interest payments on the amount borrowed and repay the original value of the bond:• The current deterioration in credit quality poses a significant threat to the country's economic and financial stability.
5. [uncountable] a high standard:• Remember it's quality we're looking for, so don't rush the job.
• The company has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its products.
6. flight to quality MARKETING when people stop buying low-quality products, investments etc and start buying high-quality products etc:• The company saw a flight to quality among whisky drinkers and worked to improve the image of its whisky brands.
[m0] ▪ II. quality quality 2 adjective [only before a noun]1. a word meaning very good, used especially in advertising products:• We provide quality rented accommodation for professional people.
• quality childcare at prices people can afford
2. quality newspapers/press/journalism newspapers etc aimed at educated readers* * *
Ⅰ.quality UK US /ˈkwɒləti/ noun► [C or U] how good or bad something is: quality of sth »We constantly seek to improve the quality of service we give to our customers.
»This raises questions about the quality of management within the company.
»We've been very happy with the quality of work they have delivered in recent months.
good/top/high quality »British toys used to be good quality, not cheap mass-produced stuff.
»They sell organic products of the highest quality.
poor/low quality »We were shocked at the poor quality of some of the furniture.
improve/decline in quality »His line manager believes his work had declined in quality.
picture/build/sound quality »This type of TV delivers stunning picture quality.
► [U] a high standard: »They claim their brand name is a guarantee of quality.
»The company is committed to quality.
► [C, usually plural] a good feature of a person's character: »She has demonstrated great leadership qualities in continuing the company's success through a very difficult year.
»Personal qualities and commitment are more important for the job than educational qualifications.
»Inspectors normally need a degree, but exceptions are occasionally made for candidates with the right qualities.
► [C] a characteristic or feature of something, that makes it different from other things: »What qualities would you expect a German car to have?
»We will combine the best qualities of both companies with a focus on our future, not our past.
→ See also CREDIT QUALITY(Cf. ↑credit quality), FAIR AVERAGE QUALITY(Cf. ↑fair average quality), HIGH-QUALITY(Cf. ↑high-quality), LOW-QUALITY(Cf. ↑low-quality)Ⅱ.quality UK US /ˈkwɒləti/ adjective► MARKETING of a high standard: »We ensure that only quality products are sold on our website.
»a reputation for making quality fuel-efficient vehicles
Financial and business terms. 2012.
