oddity

[od-i-tee]

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noun, plural odd·i·ties for 1, 3.

an odd or remarkably unusual person, thing, or event.

the quality of being odd; singularity, strangeness, or eccentricity.

an odd characteristic or trait; peculiarity.

Nearby words

Origin of oddity

First recorded in 1705–15; odd + -ity

SYNONYMS FOR oddity

1. rarity, curiosity, wonder.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for oddities

She not only understood Doug and all his oddities and frantic goofiness, but actually embraced it.
Patti Mayonnaise From ‘Doug’ Is on ‘Orange Is the New Black’|Kevin Fallon|July 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Initially, it seems that oddities are what British journalist Jon Ronson is after in this charming menagerie of essays.
This Week’s Hot Reads: November 6, 2012|Mythili Rao|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
And so, oddity of oddities, one of the beneficiaries of that might be the president.
GOP Governors Conflicted by Mitt Romney’s Bad News Messaging|Matt Taylor|June 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Fembots of yesteryear, like Jocelyn Wildenstein and Amanda Lepore, were generally treated as oddities.
Rise of the Fembots|Rebecca Dana|April 19, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Mike Zohn, co-owner of Obscura Antiques and Oddities, has sold taxidermy from his East Village shop since 1991.
Cool, Dead, and Stuffed|Melissa Milgrom|March 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Even the oddities that he portrayed were usually done by some passing bit of mimicry of the individual in question.
The Daltons, Volume I (of II)|Charles James Lever
Isak has his oddities, but they light up his character like sunbeams playing over the face of a rock.
Knut Hamsun|Hanna Astrup Larsen
It was known, and possibly he had set any oddities of behaviour towards himself down to that.
The Story of Louie|Oliver Onions
We were here above two months, attracted by Jenny's kind heart and oddities; but driven away finally by the insufferable dirt.
Ruth|Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
A good caricature fixes the attention upon the oddities, or the absurdities, latent in the original.
The Woman With The Fan|Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for oddities

oddity

noun plural -ties

an odd person or thing

an odd quality or characteristic

the condition of being odd

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for oddities

oddity

1713, "odd characteristic or trait," a hybrid from odd + -ity. Meaning "odd person" is first recorded 1748.

oddity

noun, plural odd·i·ties for 1, 3.

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Nearby words

Origin of oddity

Examples from the Web for oddities

oddity

noun plural -ties

oddity