Definition of odditynext
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as in rarity
something strange or unusual that is an object of interest years ago circus sideshows used to display people with unusual physical features as oddities

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oddity The popular national chain of gas stations and convenience stores agreed to settle a lawsuit with an oddities store outside Winter Park earlier this year over a collection of merchandise parodying the company’s iconic, bucktoothed logo. Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026 And plenty of fans now are — but during the production in Boston, the sheer oddity of the show seemed potentially limiting. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026 Also, the shrinking buying power of paychecks is not just an economic oddity in Southern California. Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 10 Aug. 2026 The June jobs report contained an oddity that might have reversed in July. Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oddity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oddity
Noun
  • Treister had a smart sense of humor, often performing magic tricks for anyone who would come over to his home, his family said.
    Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Layered background sighs, a resonant lead vocal, autumnal acoustic guitar flickers, synths both eerie and trippy—James has all his tricks on tap.
    Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The rarity of the condition means diagnosis can be delayed, increasing the chances of severe symptoms.
    CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Its native structure, the twenty-two-episode season, has become a rarity in the industry, as has its default lightness.
    Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • If a camera spots an anomaly — the wrong gasket installed on an oven, for example — the system will shut that part of the line down and start playing loud music.
    Andrea Hsu, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Those data will either reveal this one event to be an anomaly or uncover more like it.
    Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Make sure to practice a full range of motion with these and emphasize the eccentric (the way down) part of the movement for maximal time under tension and muscle-building stimulus.
    Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 19 Aug. 2026
  • No documentarian has a better eye for intriguing oddballs than Errol Morris, who built his feature film career on drawing them out in conversation, from pet-cemetery owners in Gates of Heaven to small-town eccentrics in Vernon, Florida.
    Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Like so many quirks of British culture, Highlands tourism owes a debt to the royals.
    Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Changing configuration with no external wiring The development depends on a quirk of physics called mechanical bifurcation, which is a sudden shift in structural behavior past a physical tipping point.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • With rare exceptions, EV sound is little more than an affectation.
    Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Washington had carved out exceptions for itself and some European countries to buy Russian oil, and the Biden administration had even encouraged India to buy Russian oil under a price cap as part of a plan to stabilize the global oil market.
    C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Behold the plight of the Ryan Murphy character, cursed to behave nonsensically and flit wildly from plotline to plotline based on the writer’s whims.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • At the center, a Geometric CNC Fuller visually reduces the mass of the blade while reinforcing Razorbill's distinctive multi-faceted character.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • This suggests an inherent bias from the LLM's Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) training, where human input inadvertently promotes traits like curiosity.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Craig was extremely productive at Harvard and has NFL-caliber traits with his size, mobility and throw power.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Oddity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oddity. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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