peculiar
Americanadjective
-
strange; queer; odd.
peculiar happenings.
-
uncommon; unusual.
the peculiar hobby of stuffing and mounting bats.
- Synonyms:
- exceptional, singular, extraordinary
- Antonyms:
- common
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distinctive in nature or character from others.
-
belonging characteristically (usually followed byto ).
an expression peculiar to Canadians.
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belonging exclusively to some person, group, or thing.
the peculiar properties of a drug.
- Synonyms:
- unique, special, particular, personal, individual
- Antonyms:
- common
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Astronomy. designating a star or galaxy with special properties that deviates from others of its spectral type or galaxy class.
noun
-
a property or privilege belonging exclusively or characteristically to a person.
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British. a particular parish or church that is exempted from the jurisdiction of the ordinary or bishop in whose diocese it lies and is governed by another.
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Also called arbitraries. British Printing. peculiars. special characters not generally included in standard type fonts, as phonetic symbols, mathematical symbols, etc.
adjective
-
strange or unusual; odd
a peculiar individual
a peculiar idea
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distinct from others; special
-
belonging characteristically or exclusively (to)
peculiar to North America
noun
-
Also called: arbitrary. printing a special sort, esp an accented letter
-
Church of England a church or parish that is exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary in whose diocese it lies
Related Words
See strange.
Other Word Forms
- peculiarly adverb
- unpeculiar adjective
- unpeculiarly adverb
Etymology
Origin of peculiar
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; from Latin pecūliāris “as one's own,” equivalent to pecūli(um) “property” (derivative of pecū “flock, farm animals”; akin to pecus “cattle” ( fee )) + -āris -ar 1
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.
This anonymous writer was positive that the rappings sounded “always under or about the mediums” and called one of the male mediums “most peculiar and un-wholesome looking.”
From Literature
Technically, Duane had made her acquaintance first, which was peculiar, given that Boo had already been in the company of Handsome for quite a while.
From Literature
At the same time, he was making the bottoms ring with a peculiar noise that he hadn’t made before.
From Literature
His “more real” is frustrating, pleasurable, terrifying, exalting, and as familiar as our own peculiar families.
“Rumpelstiltskin” is surely one of the more peculiar tales in the Brothers Grimm canon.
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.
