idiosyncrasy

American  

[id-ee-uh-sing-kruh-see, -sin-] / ˌɪd i əˈsɪŋ krə si, -ˈsɪn- /

noun

• idiosyncrasies
  plural

1. 

   a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.

   Synonyms:

   quirk, peculiarity

2. the physical constitution peculiar to an individual.

3. a peculiarity of the physical or the mental constitution, especially susceptibility toward drugs, food, etc.

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idiosyncrasy British  

/ ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkrəsɪ /

noun

1. a tendency, type of behaviour, mannerism, etc, of a specific person; quirk

2. the composite physical or psychological make-up of a specific person

3. an abnormal reaction of an individual to specific foods, drugs, or other agents

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Synonym Usage

See eccentricity.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• idiosyncratic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• idiosyncrasies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of idiosyncrasy

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Greek idiosynkrāsía, equivalent to idio- idio- + syn- syn- + krâs(is) “a blending” + -ia -y ³

Explanation

If a person has an idiosyncrasy, he or she has a little quirk, or a funny behavior, that makes him or her different. If you only say goodbye in French, never in English, that would be an idiosyncrasy. Idio seems like it means stupid, but really it is Latin for "one's own," as an idiosyncrasy is one's own particular, usually odd, behavior. Putting salt in your hot chocolate or needing the light on to sleep or tapping your head while you think are all idiosyncrasies. A machine such as a DVD player has an idiosyncrasy if you have to do something weird to it to make it work like having to bang it on the back left-hand side to stop it from skipping.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

idiosyncrasy idiosyncrasies

And the comparison to Bowie’s West German sojourn is apt: working with his producers, Styles has clearly immersed himself in the avant-garde, taking chances, and embracing idiosyncrasy.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026

Indeed, the very features that make gifts inefficient as market transactions—surprise, idiosyncrasy, miscalibration—are often what make them meaningful as social gestures.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

The headline proposal of the reforms is the removal of the not proven verdict - a legal idiosyncrasy that can be traced back to the 17th Century.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025

The blessing is that Buckley, Colman, Spall, and Vasan are expert enough that dimensional character work still peeks through the vibe of cookie-cutter idiosyncrasy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2024

In whose view inadequacy was mere idiosyncrasy, a character trait rather than a deficiency?

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

What we’re likely to be left with is an adaptation that hits all of the beats of the hundreds of motion picture takes on the story with all of their charms and idiosyncrasies smoothed away.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

The best part is about the Chicago brainiacs—professors and classmates—their groundbreaking discoveries matching their idiosyncrasies.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Roth likes the model’s idiosyncrasies: “If you don’t have an edgy personality, you feel like it’s sycophantic. It’s just going to please you too much,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Kate Mayne, who is a farmer and the chair of NFU Shropshire, worked closely with the project and said that "local idiosyncrasies... are really important to us as farmers".

From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026

Obviously, answers to these questions about differences in organizational success depend partly on the idiosyncrasies of individuals.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• eccentricity
• mannerism
• peculiarity
• trait