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.
-
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
Synonym Usage
See strange.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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” ( see fee)) + -āris -ar 1
Explanation
Something peculiar is notably unusual. If your friend starts saying strange things you don't understand, ask her why she's suddenly become peculiar. Peculiar comes from the Latin peculiaris, meaning one's own, or personal. In English, it originally meant belonging to one person, private, like your fondness for your peculiar hairbrush. It also had the meaning of something unlike others, special, or remarkable. Eventually we mostly stopped using it for belongings, instead using peculiar to mean unusual or odd.
Vocabulary lists containing peculiar
List 1
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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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.
"Peculiar" and "very surreal" is how she sums up the last one.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The first book in the series, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” was adapted by Tim Burton into a 2016 film starring Eva Green.
From Seattle Times • May 1, 2024
Peculiar and invigorating, visual artist Ann Oren’s feature debut “Piaffe” defies easy description — its lead character grows a horse’s tail, for one thing.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2023
The fifth-generation farmer Marvin Ross, of Peculiar Pig Farm, hosts an annual hog slaughtering event at his grandmother’s home in Ridgeville, S.C.
From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2022
Seeing that Millard had the Tales of the Peculiar open in his lap, I said, “Doing some light reading?”
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
