idiosyncrasy
Americannoun
-
idiosyncrasies
plural
-
a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.
- Synonyms:
- quirk, peculiarity
-
the physical constitution peculiar to an individual.
-
a peculiarity of the physical or the mental constitution, especially susceptibility toward drugs, food, etc.
noun
-
a tendency, type of behaviour, mannerism, etc, of a specific person; quirk
-
the composite physical or psychological make-up of a specific person
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an abnormal reaction of an individual to specific foods, drugs, or other agents
Synonym Usage
See eccentricity.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of idiosyncrasy
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Greek idiosynkrāsía, equivalent to idio- idio- + syn- syn- + krâs(is) “a blending” + -ia -y 3
Explanation
If a person has an idiosyncrasy, he or she has a little quirk, or a funny behavior, that makes him or her different. If you only say goodbye in French, never in English, that would be an idiosyncrasy. Idio seems like it means stupid, but really it is Latin for "one's own," as an idiosyncrasy is one's own particular, usually odd, behavior. Putting salt in your hot chocolate or needing the light on to sleep or tapping your head while you think are all idiosyncrasies. A machine such as a DVD player has an idiosyncrasy if you have to do something weird to it to make it work like having to bang it on the back left-hand side to stop it from skipping.
Vocabulary lists containing idiosyncrasy
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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.
See Examples For:
Indeed, the very features that make gifts inefficient as market transactions—surprise, idiosyncrasy, miscalibration—are often what make them meaningful as social gestures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
The headline proposal of the reforms is the removal of the not proven verdict - a legal idiosyncrasy that can be traced back to the 17th Century.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025
The blessing is that Buckley, Colman, Spall, and Vasan are expert enough that dimensional character work still peeks through the vibe of cookie-cutter idiosyncrasy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2024
No idiosyncrasy is too singular for him to wrestle into submission – and over three seasons of the Syfy series, he’s bear-hugged a lot of them.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2024
Never one where Chekhov’s talent is matched, nuance for nuance, idiosyncrasy for idiosyncrasy, by every soul onstage.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
Anne Robinson from Dunbarton has first-hand knowledge of EES and its idiosyncrasies - to the point it has put her off returning to Europe this year.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
The best part is about the Chicago brainiacs—professors and classmates—their groundbreaking discoveries matching their idiosyncrasies.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
“And he included Oona’s idiosyncrasies in the final animation. He was very respectful of the performance.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
The tangents, the idiosyncrasies of the hosts and the glimpses of private life leave listeners feeling connected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025
Not only did she know the intricacies of the sport and all of its rules, but she knew me and all of my idiosyncrasies as well.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
