noun
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an odd person or thing
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an odd quality or characteristic
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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
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"Superman and Me" and "A Smart Cookie/It's Our Story, Too"
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Emma
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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:
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for the Count Binfaces of this world, not because they’re weird, but because their particular kind of oddity has an outdated, cringe-inducing, dad-joke mustiness to it.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
Melt all of that together and you get a veritable News of the Weird headline factory of criminality and oddity that makes the place so very . . . content rich.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
In yeast they are extremely small and precise -- a striking oddity in the tree of life that has puzzled chromosome biologists for decades.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
He noted the oddity of silent construction sites, where workers would normally be playing music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
“Even among the Divergent, you are somewhat of an oddity, because you have aptitude for three factions. Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite.”
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Instead, the focus has been on his victory and the oddities of the race and its aftermath.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
That’s all you need to slow down and start questioning all the oddities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
The peculiar details in his contested fortune hark back to another strange will from 50 years ago, involving yet another Las Vegas-based entrepreneur, known more now for his oddities than his accomplishments: Howard Hughes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Sports oddities? I thought, well, that’s not going to work… Let’s go with ‘All Stars.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The English are not far ahead of rich and influential Americans when it comes to seeking rarities and oddities.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
