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 of peculiarity

• 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

Not all of them were hits, but nearly all of them were worth stopping and really looking at, a burst of visual peculiarity in an often humdrum urban streetscape. —Belinda Luscombe, Time, 6 Dec. 2025

The peculiarities of this year’s Oscar race have it so that Jessie Buckley’s heartwrenching turn in Hamnet already feels too obvious to talk about, and the movie is only in limited release. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

And as the play proceeds, those characters commit, ever more intensely, to their peculiarities. —Big Think, 3 Nov. 2025

This has been Bears-Saints, with enough peculiarity to warrant its own documentary series. —Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 16 Oct. 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