Final answer:
Breathing is not a characteristic that defines all life, as not all organisms breathe in the way animals do, whereas properties like homeostasis, adaptation, and reproduction are shared by all living organisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic that is NOT a defining property of life is breathing. While many organisms do breathe as part of their energy conversion process, it is not considered a universal characteristic of life. Instead, the properties shared by all living organisms include homeostasis, organization, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction. Breathing is a specific form of gas exchange used by some organisms, but not all forms of life require breathing in the sense that animals do; for example, plants exchange gases through their leaves. Hence, breathing as a requirement does not apply to all living things and does not define life universally as the other characteristics do.