oddity

[ od-i-tee ]

/ ˈɒd ɪ ti /

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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.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of oddity

First recorded in 1705–15; odd + -ity

SYNONYMS FOR oddity

1. rarity, curiosity, wonder.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oddity ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Examples from the Web for oddity

The gentle, erudite soul within a body the public considered an oddity is the contrast at the heart of “The Elephant Man.”
The True Story of ‘The Elephant Man’|Russell Saunders|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Africa was supposedly a place to avoid or, at best, an oddity to pity.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To that end, they partnered with oddity website Atlas Obscura over the summer to host “The School of Transgressive Placemaking.”
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners|Nina Strochlic|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
First oddity: power, open restaurants, people not in panic mode.
How Military Veterans Led Sandy Volunteer Efforts|Peter Meijer|October 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Beaching of the oarfish is a very rare occurrence—the last time it happened was 2010—so two in one week is certainly an oddity.
Fishy Mystery: Are Beached Oarfish Trying to Tell Us Something?|Kevin Bailey|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An oddity in the new series will be the absence of the faces of Washington and Franklin.
Christopher Columbus and His Monument Columbia|Various
Not until she had almost reached it did Mrs. Quayle realize the oddity of the structure towards which she had been racing.
The Gilded Man|Clifford Smyth
Struck by the oddity of the response, Careless began to think that a friend was at hand.
Boscobel: or, the royal oak|William Harrison Ainsworth
She had recognised the oddity of her adventure and left it to show for what it was.
The Golden Bowl|Henry James
Jimmy was so struck with the oddity of this procedure in a sleeping man that he burst into a peal of laughter.
The Swan and Her Crew|George Christopher Davies

British Dictionary definitions for oddity

oddity

/ (ˈɒdɪtɪ) /

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 oddity

oddity

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