idiosyncratic

[id-ee-oh-sin-krat-ik, -sing-]

adjective

1. pertaining to the nature of idiosyncrasy, or something peculiar to an individual.

   The best minds are idiosyncratic and unpredictable as they follow the course of scientific discovery.

idiosyncratic

/ ˌɪdɪəʊsɪŋˈkrætɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to idiosyncrasy; characteristic of a specific person

Other Word Forms

• idiosyncratically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiosyncratic¹

First recorded in 1750–60; equivalent to idio- ( def. ) + Greek sýnkrat(os) “closely united” + -ic ( def. ); syn- ( def. ), crater

Example Sentences

And even in the best of times, some borrowers will run into idiosyncratic problems.

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But her idiosyncratic policy views are, by design, inseparable from her larger brand as a hair-on-fire nutcase of the most rancid sort.

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It is a typically Herzogian enterprise, highly idiosyncratic and at times frustratingly oblique.

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It gave the season a suitably celebratory and idiosyncratic climax.

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What Levin called “idiosyncratic actors” are increasingly likely to lash out at those connected to political and policy positions they find unjust.

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Related Words

• characteristic 
• distinctive 
• individual 
• peculiar 
• singular 
• specific 
• unique