oddball

[od-bawl]

noun

1. a person or thing that is atypical, bizarre, eccentric, or nonconforming, especially one having beliefs that are unusual but harmless.

adjective

1. whimsically free-spirited; eccentric; atypical.

   an oddball scheme.

oddball

/ ˈɒdˌbɔːl /

noun

1. Also called: odd bod.  odd fish. a strange or eccentric person

adjective

1. strange or peculiar

Word History and Origins

Origin of oddball¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; odd + ball ¹

Example Sentences

The oddball nature of the product, paradoxically, is probably the reason you’ve heard of it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I have been called the “king of weird” and the “patron saint of oddball cars.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It’s surprising because most people on Wall Street, and most financial professionals and advisers across the country, still view gold as a niche, oddball investment.

Read more on MarketWatch

Not your average ergonomics paper - and just the kind of delightfully oddball idea: a prototype for a UVC light-equipped shoe rack that doesn't just store shoes but sterilises them.

Read more on BBC

They advocate educating young scientists in how to communicate to the public about how they work, presenting an “easily recognizable public face so we are not seen as white-coated oddballs lurking in dark corners.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• eccentric