noun
-
an odd person or thing
-
an odd quality or characteristic
-
the condition of being odd
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of oddity
Explanation
An oddity is anything strange or unusual. Wearing ear muffs during a heat wave would be considered an oddity, because most people wouldn't do that. Anything odd is weird, strange, unusual, or bizarre. Oddities are things like that. Calling good friends "sir" would be an oddity, since that word is usually used in formal situations. Oddities can also be objects, especially unusual objects or souvenirs someone might collect.
Vocabulary lists containing oddity
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Superman and Me" and "A Smart Cookie/It's Our Story, Too"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Emma
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
This suggests that the giant predator was part of a broader community of snakes occupying different ecological roles, rather than an isolated evolutionary oddity.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
But its strangeness also seems appropriate, considering the epic oddity of the South African’s ascension from mistrusted Silicon Valley wannabe to ever-confident cheerleader for space dreams and electric vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
I don’t have much time for the Count Binfaces of this world, not because they’re weird, but because their particular kind of oddity has an outdated, cringe-inducing, dad-joke mustiness to it.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
Ceuta, like its sister city Melilla, is a geographical oddity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
He shook his head at the oddity of this request.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
I’ve been in Los Angeles over a decade, and I’m still navigating its oddities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
In this context, medbeds seemed conceptually like fun oddities, akin more to palm readings than to predatory disinformation.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
That’s all you need to slow down and start questioning all the oddities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
With that comes more international fans in the US keen to explore American culture, landscape and all the country's oddities.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Then, on what had already been a day of oddities and alarms, she noticed something else strange.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
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.
