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

Her quirky sense of humor and passion for her career align with the zodiac sign Aries, whose fiery spirit can relate. —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 11 May 2025

The past years' trends of intense, high-contrast rugs in checkerboard or paisley have been replaced with simplified plaid patterns and quirky folk designs. —Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2025

Foley directed a 1991 episode of David Lynch’s quirky Showtime series Twin Peaks before helming the feature adaptation of David Mamet’s desperate-salesmen play Glengarry Glen Ross the following year. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 8 May 2025

Around this time, the outfit’s quirky, lightly rumbustious songs began to resonate across British press and radio; accessible while containing a marked dose of strangeness, Fontaine’s songwriting – at once emotionally raw and witty – boasted a strong multi-generational appeal. —Sophie Williams, Billboard, 8 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quirky

• jerky
• murky
• perky
• turki