peculiarity
Americannoun
-
peculiarities
plural
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a trait, manner, characteristic, or habit that is odd or unusual.
- Synonyms:
- idiosyncrasy
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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
Noun Inflected 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.
See Examples For:
I asked the White House to explain this peculiarity.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
Yet wrapped up in his peculiarity has been a knack for rubbing America’s face in realities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
And it warned that legislation introduced in 2023 has not removed all of the risks, and the collapse of the case was not a "one-off peculiarity created solely by outdated legislation".
From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025
"We urge the government to avoid characterising the failure of the Cash/Berry case as a one-off peculiarity created solely by outdated legislation," the report said.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025
I felt a certain satisfaction at having learned something new about my peculiarity, and with nothing to teach me but experience.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
But the peculiarities of the 30-stock Dow are likely to limit any immediate effect.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Dorsey’s personal peculiarities also continue to draw attention.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Both earth signs, the two laugh at the peculiarities they noticed within each other upon first meeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026
Really, all of the peculiarities of the book serve to balance the scope and the tenderness and somehow suspend it all into mystery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
“But has he no peculiarities? What, in short, is his character?”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
