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 of quirky

• bizarre
• funny
• strange
• weird
• odd
• curious
• peculiar
• eccentric
• erratic
• remarkable
• unusual
• crazy

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

Because the concept of who will take snaps if every quarterback is injured isn’t a quirky hypothetical in Santa Clara. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026

In their desperation to sound unique, applicants often think too outside the box, trying out unusual formats, elaborate metaphors, or intentionally quirky topics in an effort to seem memorable. — Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

The quirky sci-fi comedy starring Diedrich Bader and Chris Parnell did not end up panning out for Spelling. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026

With such a glut of quirky comedy coming out of New Zealand, let’s hope this continues for as long as true crime remains ripe for parody. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quirky

• jerky
• murky
• perky
• turki