quirk

American  

[kwurk] / kwɜrk /

noun

quirks plural

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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Synonym Usage

See eccentricity.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quirkiness
  noun
• quirky
  adjective
• quirkily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• quirks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of quirk

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Explanation

A quirk is a unique, odd, and sometimes charming trait that makes a person stand out from the crowd. Country comedian Minnie Pearl was known for her quirk of wearing a $1.98 price tag dangling from her hat. A quirk can be an adorable little habit, like wearing flowery dresses and big sun bonnets or bow ties every day. Someone who has one or many quirks is said to be quirky — a little odd, but usually in a fun way. When it's not being used to describe people's unusual traits, quirk can mean a quick curve, or a groove, that runs along or separates the molding in a building.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

quirk quirks

Investors who rotated into the right beaten-down value and emerging-market funds this year ticked both boxes because they had a sound idea, but their big gains are partly a quirk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

It’s a cruel quirk of fate, or maybe just a tragic irony, that we are celebrating America’s semiquincentennial during one of the most surreal periods in American history.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

This drafting quirk, far more than just a fun fact for grammar nerds or English teachers nationwide, is seen as proof that a narrow reading of the spending clause is most appropriate.

From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026

But Folarin Balogun only represents the USA because of a quirk of his birth.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

By a strange quirk of fate, this ambitious choral composer found himself working in the one building in the world which, by dint of its architecture, was responsible for a new style of choral music.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Symmetry - AI often fails to recreate the quirks that make us human - a slightly drooping eyelid or a lop-sided smile.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

That has more to do with a complicated web of seasonal gas-market quirks, refining margins and exports, and unabated demand.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

But the sound of the music itself — delicate, precise, a little eerie — was also a sign that Hollywood did nothing to smooth out the quirks of one of pop’s most lovable oddballs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

Paul Smith’s designs combine classic tailoring with color and occasional quirks, like vibrant stripes or prints.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

The body had rules and it had quirks.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Related Words

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