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When something is aberrant, it is unusual, not socially acceptable, or a departure from the norm.
If something is an anomaly, it is different from what is usual or expected; hence, it is highly noticeable.
A chimerical idea is unrealistic, imaginary, or unlikely to be fulfilled.
A clique is a group of people that spends a lot of time together and tends to be unfriendly towards people who are not part of the group.
Distinctive qualities set people or things apart from everyone or everything else—they are what make people or things different or unique.
If someone is eccentric, they behave in a strange and unusual way that is different from most people.
A foible is a small weakness or character flaw in a person that is considered somewhat unusual; that said, it is also viewed as unimportant and harmless.
Hackneyed words, images, ideas, or sayings have been used so often that they no longer seem interesting or amusing.
Heterodox beliefs, ideas, or practices are different from accepted or official ones.
The word homogeneous is used to describe a group that has members or parts which are similar or are all of the same type.
An iconoclast is someone who often attacks beliefs, ideas, or customs that are generally accepted by society.
An intrinsic characteristic of something is the basic and essential feature that makes it what it is.
Something that is mundane is very ordinary and not interesting or exciting, especially because it happens very often.
Something that is notional exists only as an idea or in theory—not in reality.
If you describe something as pedestrian, you think that it is ordinary and not interesting.
A platitude is an unoriginal statement that has been used so many times that it is considered almost meaningless and pointless, even though it is presented as important.
If you have a predilection for something, you have a preference for it.
A proclivity is the tendency to behave in a particular way or to like a particular thing.
A propensity is a natural tendency towards a particular behavior.
Something prosaic is dull, boring, and ordinary.
A whimsical idea or person is slightly strange, unusual, and amusing rather than serious and practical.
Adj.
idiosyncratic
ID-ee-oh-sin-KRAT-it
Context
Ivonne was a genius with an amazing IQ, but her strange and idiosyncratic behavior puzzled some people. Ivonne would idiosyncratically count each step on every staircase, and she also had the unusual habit of wearing bright orange socks every day. These idiosyncratic tendencies may have appeared out of place or odd, but they merely reflected Ivonne’s unique and precise mind.
Quiz:Try again!
What is an example of idiosyncratic behavior?
Riding a bike to work to avoid negatively impacting the environment.
Singing to your houseplants to help them grow.
Picking up one bad habit from your roommate after living with them for a few months.
DemocraticIdiot Synthesis Jan believed that if we took all the world's idiots and formed a democratic state with them using a forced form of synthesis, they would end up ruling the world; Jan tried to convince people everyday that her idiosyncratic view of democraticidiot synthesis really would solve all the world's problems.
Examples
The leanness of _Rising_ is a major improvement on the sugar-shock overproduction of Ono’s mid -'80s solo albums and shows Lennon’s confidence in the idiosyncratic vitality of his mother’s voice.
—
Rolling Stone
Eastern Europe’s largest democracy seemed to have been captured by a vengeful populist clique, with ideas about the outside world that ranged from the idiosyncratic to the unpleasant.
—
The Economist
Then a paradoxical thing happened: Those small, scattered designs, by their very idiosyncratic strength, wound up becoming symbolic of the city and even Southern California as a whole.
—
Los Angeles Times
The country preferred idiosyncratic, homegrown games—baseball, basketball and American football—and, without the least embarrassment, pronounced its winners "world champions."
—
Newsweek
Idiosyncratic ideas are one’s “own, personal, or private” views “mixed with” the general belief system; in other words, they are one’s “own” peculiar “mix” of traits.
Word Theater
A Christmas Story This boy acts in a rather idiosyncratic fashion, which seems to delight his mother.
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Word Constellation
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Related Words
aberrant ·
anomaly ·
chimerical ·
distinctive+ ·
eccentric ·
foible ·
heterodox ·
iconoclast ·
intrinsic ·
notional ·
predilection ·
proclivity ·
propensity ·
whimsical ·
clique ·
hackneyed ·
homogeneous ·
mundane ·
pedestrian ·
platitude ·
prosaic ·
Similar sense
Opposite sense
Word Variants
idiosyncrasy
n
→
peculiarity; unusual characteristic
The section lists important variants and alternate definitions of the headword. Knowing variants will often help you both remember and understand the word. Not all variants are listed - only the ones we think that are important for you to know.
