peculiarity
Americannoun
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a trait, manner, characteristic, or habit that is odd or unusual.
- Synonyms:
- idiosyncrasy
-
oddity; singularity; eccentricity.
- Synonyms:
- irregularity
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a distinguishing quality or characteristic.
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the quality or condition of being peculiar.
noun
-
a strange or unusual habit or characteristic
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a distinguishing trait, etc that is characteristic of a particular person; idiosyncrasy
-
the state or quality of being peculiar
Synonym Usage
See eccentricity. See feature.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of peculiarity
First recorded in 1600–10; from Late Latin pecūliāritās “private property, special care,” a derivative of pecūliāris peculiar + -itas -ity ( def. )
Explanation
Some characteristic or habit that's odd or distinctive is a peculiarity. Your brother's peculiarities might include always wearing a red knit hat, even in summer. A peculiarity is a quirk or strange feature. You might be self conscious about the fact that your ears are uneven, something you think of as an obvious peculiarity. Another kind of peculiarity is a quality that is specific to someone or something: "One peculiarity of people from the Midwest is that they call soda pop." This "special characteristic" meaning is the original one, which makes sense given the Latin root, peculiaris, "of one's own."
Vocabulary lists containing peculiarity
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.
A new tradition of sorts has popped up: Peculiarity.
From Seattle Times • May 7, 2022
The local theater group Peculiarity Productions will provide Halloween tricks with sideshow performers including a fire breather and a contortionist.
From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2018
Peculiarity of Land as a Capital Good.—One reservation needs to be made when we call capital goods perishable.
From Essentials of Economic Theory As Applied to Modern Problems of Industry and Public Policy by Clark, John Bates
Peculiarity of Greek feelings on the position of women, 280, 281.
From History of European Morals From Augustus to Charlemagne (Vol. 2 of 2) by Lecky, William Edward Hartpole
Peculiarity in any kind requires encouragement in order to reach flower.
From An Old Town By the Sea by Aldrich, Thomas Bailey
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.
