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.
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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.
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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
-
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.
"They must have thought me very eccentric in the hospital, because I sat there quoting Shakespeare monologues," he said after his investiture ceremony.
From BBC
They seek help at a nearby castle and encounter the eccentric strangers who live there, holding a party.
From BBC
Then, just after the calamity of World War II, in a remote corner of eastern France, he moved Modernism’s goal posts with a single, eccentric, transcendent project.
"Gladys has surprised me because she's getting a lot of love back," she said of her Weapons character, an eccentric woman who turns up in a US town just before the local schoolchildren go missing.
From BBC
There were singing mediums, who warbled tunes composed by the spirits, and dancing mediums, who moved in a “very eccentric” manner.
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.
