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.
But the scenes she’s devised for these sympathetically difficult oddballs go nowhere. Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 All the sun’s planets are oddballs. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2026 Those crazy, diverse individuals, that tribe of oddballs and eccentrics, dreamers, and gamblers who make up this business. Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026 The first of these—a cult favorite among writers, particularly youngish women writers—put Lemann on the map as a singular stylist, capable of crystalline insights into the miscreants and oddballs of the American South and great bursts of unrestrained sentiment. Brandy Jensen, New Yorker, 8 Apr. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Oddball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oddball. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

oddball

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

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