eccentric
Americanadjective
-
deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd.
eccentric conduct;
an eccentric person.
- Antonyms:
- conventional, customary, ordinary, regular, normal
-
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
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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
- eccentrical adjective
- eccentrically adverb
- noneccentric adjective
- noneccentrically adverb
- uneccentric adjective
- uneccentrically adverb
Etymology
Origin of eccentric
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Medieval Latin eccentricus, from Greek ékkentr(os) “out of center” ( ec-, center ) + Latin -icus -ic
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.
Newsom’s dad helped connect the eccentric music composer “to the outside world,” the governor wrote.
From Los Angeles Times
That same year, Altman also gave him the title role in his “Brewster McCloud,” an eccentric fable about a Houston loner determined to build a pair of wings and take flight.
From Los Angeles Times
Many more eccentric characters appear, such as Tristram’s Uncle Toby, a wounded veteran who loses himself by re-creating former battles with miniatures.
Meant to be all-powerful and spellbinding, he comes across as merely eccentric.
MY GRANDMOTHER, MY BABCI, WAS what mother diplomatically called eccentric and my father less diplomatically called meshuggeneh.
From Literature
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.
