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.
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(of an axis, axle, etc.) not situated in the center.
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Machinery. having the axis or support away from the center.
an eccentric wheel.
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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.
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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
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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:
The common link seems to be Daisy Wolcott, a wealthy eccentric who devoted her life and fortune to the discovery and preservation of obscure vegetation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Its orbit would have been about four times more eccentric than that of Jupiter's moon Europa, whose icy shell is heavily fractured by the continual gravitational stretching and squeezing it experiences.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
It followed Charlie Bucket, a child who is one of five winners who find "golden tickets" inside a Wonka bar and are invited to tour the mysterious chocolate factory run by the eccentric Willy Wonka.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
For just as long, critics have ripped into his eccentric on-stage persona; still, Thompson has enjoyed one of the longest-running residencies in Las Vegas, playing shows at the Luxor Hotel & Casino.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Smith was an eccentric rebel who surrounded himself with people interested in the progressive issues of the day, and Elizabeth found the environment at his home a thrilling contrast to her father’s safe, conservative household.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
His childhood was surrounded by visionaries and eccentrics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
The film spends significant time roasting inane eccentrics like Benji but not without explaining their place in the media’s modern ecosystem.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
Mainstream entertainment feeds us lies: We’re all eccentrics struggling to find our way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
It is full of eccentrics, impish humour, and the absurdities of small-town and big-city life.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025
Thus both Copernicus and Francis Bacon wrote of astronomers ‘feigning’ eccentrics and epicycles—they meant these are imaginary entities.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
