oddball

American  

[od-bawl] / ˈɒdˌbɔl /

noun

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

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adjective

1. whimsically free-spirited; eccentric; atypical.

   an oddball scheme.

oddball British  

/ ˈɒdˌbɔːl /

noun

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

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adjective

1. strange or peculiar

Etymology

Origin of oddball

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

Example Sentences

Samira finds a true community among the other neighborhood oddballs, which is true to Palmer’s experience of growing up in Robbins, Ill., outside of Chicago.

From Los Angeles Times

The U.S. is an oddball among Olympic nations, the only one that tallies up gold, silver, and bronze when it counts its medals at the end of the Games.

From The Wall Street Journal

But also eccentric, loner, rogue, oddball—even weirdo.

From The Wall Street Journal

He cut his teeth as a martial arts expert and stand-up comic before becoming an oddball character in the mid-1990s television sitcom “News Radio.”

From The Wall Street Journal

French, who plays 'widow' Debbie Fendon, said: "This is a sitcom about a very strange little oddball family who commit a massive fraud but pretend that it's no big deal."

From BBC

Related Words

• eccentric