eccentric
Americanadjective
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deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd.
eccentric conduct;
an eccentric person.
- Antonyms:
- conventional, customary, ordinary, regular, normal
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Geometry. not having the same center; not concentric: used especially of two circles or spheres at least one of which contains the centers of both.
-
(of an axis, axle, etc.) not situated in the center.
-
Machinery. having the axis or support away from the center.
an eccentric wheel.
-
Astronomy. deviating from a circular form, as an elliptic orbit.
noun
-
eccentrics
plural
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a person who has an unusual, peculiar, or odd personality, set of beliefs, or behavior pattern.
-
something that is unusual, peculiar, or odd.
-
Machinery. a device for converting circular motion into rectilinear motion, consisting of a disk fixed somewhat off-center to a revolving shaft, and working freely in a surrounding collar eccentricstrap, to which a rod eccentricrod is attached.
adjective
-
deviating or departing from convention, esp in a bizarre manner; irregular or odd
-
situated away from the centre or the axis
-
not having a common centre Compare concentric
eccentric circles
-
not precisely circular
noun
-
a person who deviates from normal forms of behaviour, esp in a bizarre manner
-
a device for converting rotary motion to reciprocating motion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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eccentricaladjective
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noneccentricadjective
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uneccentricadjective
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eccentricallyadverb
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noneccentricallyadverb
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uneccentricallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of eccentric
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Medieval Latin eccentricus, from Greek ékkentr(os) “out of center” ( see ec-, center) + Latin -icus -ic
Explanation
You're most likely to encounter the adjective eccentric in a description of an unusual or quirky person — like a scatterbrained aunt who leaves her life savings to her cat. From the Greek ekkentros, "out of the center," this word originally had to do with the orbits of planets that were observed to be slightly out of whack. Eventually it came to describe people who were a little kooky, both as an adjective and as a noun, too: an eccentric is an unconventional, odd person. Think of them as following a slightly different orbit from the rest of society.
Vocabulary lists containing eccentric
List 2
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The Westing Game
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Born a Crime
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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:
Now, as it emerges from a postindustrial decline, Genoa is again attracting tourists and with good reason: The city is full of surprises, with an eccentric charm that inspires exploration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Comedian Randall Park plays an eccentric boss of a pizza shop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
As the chapters accumulate, the reader gains a sense of the Jeff Beck that the authors describe as part genius, part unknowable eccentric.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Wonka's The Golden Ticket will feature an AI-generated version of Wilder, who played the eccentric chocolatier in the 1971 film.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
He was only a man who had meant well, who had been spurred along that course of thinking by an eccentric necromancer with a weakness for humanity.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
He takes his time absorbing every seemingly inconsequential detail as he becomes attached to the personalities of eccentrics on their self-assigned quests to accomplish unlikely goals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
Both Kennedy and Trump are famous eccentrics who possess a charismatic weirdness that somehow captures people’s imaginations — and inspires them to become devoted followers.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026
While Pildas was capturing the seven architects 45 years ago, he was also busy chronicling the city’s street culture — jazz clubs, boulevard eccentrics, decaying movie palaces and bohemian artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025
Created by Brian Donovan and Ed Herro, “The Sticky” finds the dark humor in this crazy scheme; but it’s also a low-key portrait of a rural Canada populated by eccentrics and petty bureaucrats.
From New York Times ● Dec. 2, 2024
National defense and global prestige, of course, were the two concerns that had moved the reverie of space travel from the purview of novelists and eccentrics to the country’s number-one priority.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
