oddball

[od-bawl]

noun

1. a person or thing that is atypical, bizarre, eccentric, or nonconforming, especially one having beliefs that are unusual but harmless.

adjective

1. whimsically free-spirited; eccentric; atypical.

   an oddball scheme.

oddball

/ ˈɒdˌbɔːl /

noun

1. Also called: odd bod.  odd fish. a strange or eccentric person

adjective

1. strange or peculiar

Word History and Origins

Origin of oddball¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; odd + ball ¹

Example Sentences

It’s surprising because most people on Wall Street, and most financial professionals and advisers across the country, still view gold as a niche, oddball investment.

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Not your average ergonomics paper - and just the kind of delightfully oddball idea: a prototype for a UVC light-equipped shoe rack that doesn't just store shoes but sterilises them.

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They advocate educating young scientists in how to communicate to the public about how they work, presenting an “easily recognizable public face so we are not seen as white-coated oddballs lurking in dark corners.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Shot on 35mm VistaVision, “One Battle After Another” will be a rare chance to see Anderson bring his sly digressions, oddball humor and tonal whiplash to a canvas usually reserved for Bayhem.

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But it also turns him into a lonely, rigidly neoclassicist oddball who scorns his professors, prefers books to his flighty peers and still can’t seem to take care of himself.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• eccentric