peculiarity

noun

pe·​cu·​liar·​i·​ty pi-ˌkyül-ˈyer-ə-tē 

-ˈya-rə-;

-ˌkyü-lē-ˈer-ə-,

-ˈa-rə-

plural peculiarities

1

: the quality or state of being peculiar

2

: a distinguishing characteristic

3

: oddity, quirk

Synonyms

• trick
• characteristic
• trait
• quirk
• mannerism
• idiosyncrasy
• eccentricity
• singularity
• oddity
• habit

Examples of peculiarity in a Sentence

the peculiarity of his appearance

It is a peculiarity of the house that there is no front door.

her peculiarities as a writer

Scientists tried to explain some peculiarities in the results of the experiment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Quantum computers, which harness the peculiarities of quantum physics for gains in speed and computing ability over classical machines, may one day revolutionize technology. —Ananya Palivela, Scientific American, 30 Aug. 2025

Beyond that technical stuff there is the peculiarity of what happens in the poem. —A.o. Scott, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025

Many other aircraft types contain similar peculiarities. —Zach Wichter, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025

There’s a peculiarity with ownership in soccer today. —Henry Flynn, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for peculiarity

• angularity
• bipolarity
• capillarity
• cellularity
• circularity
• familiarity
• granularity
• insincerity
• insularity
• modularity
• osmolarity
• popularity

Kids Definition

peculiarity

noun

pe·​cu·​liar·​i·​ty pi-ˌkyül-ˈyar-ət-ē 

-ˌkyü-lē-ˈar-

plural peculiarities

1

: the quality or state of being peculiar

2

: something different or individual

3

: something odd or abnormal