idiosyncrasy

American  

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

noun

PLURAL

idiosyncrasies

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.

---

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

---

Related Words

See eccentricity.

Other Word Forms

• idiosyncratic adjective

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

Example Sentences

“But we mixed that with a more Latin American idiosyncrasy, so it’s familiar but very different.”

From Los Angeles Times

Inside the White House, Pulte’s idiosyncrasies have earned him some detractors.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Our results here show that, for the same client vignette, AI advisers recommend safer portfolios than human advisers and that … scenario cues, not adviser idiosyncrasies, drive the difference.”

From MarketWatch

The tangents, the idiosyncrasies of the hosts and the glimpses of private life leave listeners feeling connected.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their actions, character, and — yes, I think I can use this word — spirit have literally helped form your neural pathways, so that the way they thought, their little idiosyncrasies, are dwelling in you.

From Salon

Related Words

• eccentricity
• mannerism
• peculiarity
• trait