oddball

noun

odd·​ball ˈäd-ˌbȯl How to pronounce oddball (audio)
Synonyms of oddballnext
: one that is eccentric
oddball adjective

Examples of oddball in a Sentence

He used to be a real oddball back in high school. she's known as the office oddball
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
As will anyone who isn’t a total oddball. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 6 Feb. 2026 Shi’s bottle list encompasses an idiosyncratic mix of classics and oddballs, including stroppy Austrian natural whites alongside multi-thousand-dollar Burgundies, funky low-intervention oranges from Greece, a few bottles from the Japanese winery Coco Farm. Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026 If anything, O’Hara’s brilliance came from her ability to unearth the oddball in anybody. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026 In the meantime, the team continues to search for similar objects to determine whether Cloud-9 is an oddball or part of a larger cohort of relics. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oddball

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oddball was in 1948

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oddball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oddball. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

oddball

noun
odd·​ball -ˌbȯl How to pronounce oddball (audio)
: a person who behaves strangely

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