quirk

American  

[kwurk] / kwɜrk /

noun

1. a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism.

   He is full of strange quirks.

2. a shift, subterfuge, or evasion; quibble.

3. a sudden twist or turn.

   He lost his money by a quirk of fate.

4. a flourish or showy stroke, as in writing.

5. Architecture.

   1. an acute angle or channel, as one dividing two parts of a molding or one dividing a flush bead from the adjoining surfaces.

   2. an area taken from a larger area, as a room or a plot of ground.

   3. an enclosure for this area.

6. Obsolete. a clever or witty remark; quip.

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adjective

1. formed with a quirk or channel, as a molding.

quirk British  

/ kwɜːk /

noun

1. an individual peculiarity of character; mannerism or foible

2. an unexpected twist or turn

   a quirk of fate

3. a continuous groove in an architectural moulding

4. a flourish, as in handwriting

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Related Words

See eccentricity.

Other Word Forms

• quirkily adverb
• quirkiness noun
• quirky adjective

Etymology

Origin of quirk

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

He is able to laugh at the quirks of his condition with them.

From BBC

Analysts cautioned that January's job gains - nearly double what many had predicted - might look more robust than the reality due to quirks in the data.

From BBC

Unlike some years, the 2026 group picture is a little short on big poses, funny faces and other quirks.

From BBC

That's a quirk of the NFL Draft system, the best players go to the worst teams, and while some could just be having an off season so can build for success, some have serious issues.

From BBC

But an upside surprise could also be a quirk of how the numbers are calculated, which will make interpreting January’s figures especially difficult.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aberration
• characteristic
• eccentricity
• foible
• habit
• idiosyncrasy
• kink
• mannerism
• peculiarity
• trait
• twist
• vagary