quirky

adjective

ˈkwər-kē 

quirkier; quirkiest

: having many quirks : unusual in especially an interesting or appealing way

a quirky sense of humor

quirky ideas/behavior

a quirky and creative artist

… the SoHo store known for its modern, often quirky home accessories …

—Marianne Rohrlich

The result is an extraordinarily fine film, a quieter, more centered vision of Garp's world that loses little of the quirky humor of the original …

—Molly Haskell

quirkily

ˈkwər-kə-lē 

adverb

His political ideas, which had seemed quirkily brilliant in the 1900's …

—Wilfrid Sheed

… he is gregarious and energetic and … enjoys a quirkily methodical, omnivorous turn of mind …

—Cullen Murphy

quirkiness

ˈkwər-kē-nəs 

noun

… is gaining international prominence in interior-design circles simply because its content diverges with typically English quirkiness, from that of its competitors.

—John Duka

Synonyms

• bizarre
• bizarro
• cranky
• crazy
• curious
• eccentric
• erratic
• far-out
• funky
• funny
• kinky
• kooky
• kookie
• odd
• off-kilter
• off-the-wall
• offbeat
• out-of-the-way
• outlandish
• outré
• peculiar
• quaint
• queer
• queerish
• remarkable
• rum [chiefly British]
• screwy
• spaced-out
• strange
• wacky
• whacky
• way-out
• weird
• weirdo
• wild

Examples of quirky in a Sentence

the waitress styles her hair in a quirky way that always gets her remembered by customers

Recent Examples on the Web

Visitors of the Southern California park adored him for his quirky but gentle temperament, and scientists treasured him for his contributions to a critically endangered species, including fathering nine offspring, according to zoo officials. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 16 July 2024

Plus, the quirky speaker design will be a hit for music lovers. —Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2024

Sure—those gorgeously quirky and otherworldly photos and movie stills capture the way most of us who remember Shelley Duvall think of her. —April Daniels Hussar, Allure, 12 July 2024

Spanning table, floor, and wall lights, this retailer injects a burst of personality into its cute and quirky designs—perfect for the young at heart. —Blake Bakkila, Architectural Digest, 8 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above