idiosyncratic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of idiosyncratic
First recorded in 1750–60; equivalent to idio- ( def. ) + Greek sýnkrat(os) “closely united” + -ic ( def. ); cf. syn- ( def. ), crater
Explanation
Idiosyncratic means unique to an individual. Albert Einstein famously had lots of idiosyncratic habits. For example, he rarely wore socks, and he talked to his cat. One thing that Einstein definitely wasn't was an idiot. Yet idiosyncratic and idiot are related. Idio is ancient Greek for "one's own." An idiosyncratic person is someone who does things in his own way. And the original meaning of idiot was basically "a regular Joe" — an ordinary person who keeps to himself.
Vocabulary lists containing idiosyncratic
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Into the Wild
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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.
Krishna at Barclays says that historically low correlations within the S&P 500 sectors suggest idiosyncratic earnings, while noting concentration changes stoked volatility.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
And above all, rooting wildly for one’s own country in delightfully idiosyncratic ways is perfectly acceptable.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 22, 2026
An eccentric figure with an idiosyncratic language all his own, Erdős would say mathematicians had “left” when they died, and say that they had “died” when they stopped doing mathematics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
His family acquired on the cheap a museum-quality collection of Old Master and French Impressionist paintings, which they displayed in their various idiosyncratic homes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
If inventions are as idiosyncratic and unpredictable as the disk seems to suggest, then efforts to generalize about the history of technology may be doomed from the outset.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
