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Those whose quirk is to zig while others zag (and conversely those who zag while others zig) will appreciate the origins of today’s word. Not its etymological origins, mind you—no one knows whence quirk came—but the twists and turns of its meanings across the centuries. The oldest known use of quirk dates to the mid-1500s, and referred to a clever verbal dodge of the kind one might use to turn the tables on someone in an argument or debate. It didn’t take long for quirk’s meaning to expand to cover all kinds of twisty, turn-y things, from witty retorts and curlicue flourishes made with ink on paper to the vagaries or twists of fate. The sense of quirk meaning “a peculiarity of action or behavior” refers to a twist of sorts as well, insofar as our quirks often flip others’ expectations of us, perhaps even causing them to quirk their eyebrows now and again. In a surprising twist, quirk began to be used as a verb meaning “to curve or twist” in the late 1800s.
Synonyms
Examples of quirk in a Sentence
Tom Roland, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
The original Roam is a solid speaker with some quirks, like no stereo pairing over Bluetooth, which The Verge’s Chris Welch called out in his original review.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 24 Mar. 2024
Lady Gaga's 2010 MTV VMAs meat dress; Khan's signature fiery red hair; Diana Ross' luscious hair; Franklin's famous furs; Celine Dion's interview quirks and Mimi's signature whistle-note.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Economists and policymakers were quick to call the report a one-off, saying seasonal glitches and other data quirks often mess with the start of the year.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Amphibians called caecilians add cloacal secretions of a nutritious material similar to milk to their numerous quirks, according to a new study.
—Sofia Quaglia, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
In a quirk of election timing, voters actually weighed in on two questions Tuesday: who should compete for the full six-year term that begins next January, and who should fill out the final months of Feinstein's term after the November election.
—Marisa Lagos, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024
Plus, pass-through technology has quirks that often cause visual delays and other distortions.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 21 Feb. 2024
Each has its own quirks, yet all of them can make the intimate feel anthemic and vice versa.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2023
Working from home: The fun quirks couples learn about each other Look and sound more professional Mind your manners in online meetings by following these tips For video meetings, the eyes have it.
—Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 4 June 2020
But many other smaller outfits were unable to access the loan program, even as some larger firms took advantage of the program’s quirks to get approval for high-dollar relief.
—Tom Benning, Dallas News, 23 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quirk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Quirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quirk. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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