as in nuts
a person of odd or whimsical habits
an eccentric who designed his house to look like a Scottish castle
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Recent Examples of eccentrics
On her trail are a Báthory relative who is vegetarian (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector and a gallery of eccentrics.
—
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Catherine O’Hara portrayed ridiculous eccentrics with equal parts hilarity and humanity.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
Greg Brown, the original guitarist and co-founding member of ’90s alt-rock eccentrics Cake, has died.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 9 Feb. 2026
On his mother’s side, a line of troubled souls and eccentrics.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2026
The logger and railsplitter occasionally encounters American eccentrics, like a chatty drifter prone to sporting bible verses and an old coot of a demolitions expert with a philosophical bent.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
Appealing to consumers searching for a piece of history, the store has gained a following of visitors hunting for unique souvenirs, designers on inspiration trips and local eccentrics.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
For Mimi Pond, the desire to do a book about the Mitford sisters – six larger-than-life British eccentrics (and one brother) who created a stir in both British and American culture – was obvious.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
For decades, sovereign citizens largely flew under the radar in Australia as relatively harmless eccentrics with a special interest in conspiracy theories.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Catherine O’Hara portrayed ridiculous eccentrics with equal parts hilarity and humanity.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Feb. 2026
Greg Brown, the original guitarist and co-founding member of ’90s alt-rock eccentrics Cake, has died.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 9 Feb. 2026
On his mother’s side, a line of troubled souls and eccentrics.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2026
The logger and railsplitter occasionally encounters American eccentrics, like a chatty drifter prone to sporting bible verses and an old coot of a demolitions expert with a philosophical bent.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
Appealing to consumers searching for a piece of history, the store has gained a following of visitors hunting for unique souvenirs, designers on inspiration trips and local eccentrics.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Oct. 2025
For Mimi Pond, the desire to do a book about the Mitford sisters – six larger-than-life British eccentrics (and one brother) who created a stir in both British and American culture – was obvious.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
For decades, sovereign citizens largely flew under the radar in Australia as relatively harmless eccentrics with a special interest in conspiracy theories.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eccentrics
Noun
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While 90% of food allergies involve exposure to the top nine allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy/milk, eggs, sesame, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish), people can be allergic to many other foods.—
Dr. Sonja O'Leary,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
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While the Middle East isn’t as large an export market for California farmers and ranchers as Canada, the European Union or Mexico; the United Arab Emirates ranks in the top 10 as the nuts, strawberries and other products exported there are distributed across the region.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Though the tension is supercharged by the Kennedy name and the characters’ mutual fame, the fight itself resembles any ordinary couple bickering about their in-laws and lost spark.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
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In the same way characters come and go, bulletins from the outside world pop up as backdrop, with references to The Balfour Declaration and, more pertinently, the upcoming Peel Commission, which, published the following year, would open the gates to partition.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Sun Belt is the only real exception, having now defined itself as FBS’ actual Southeastern conference, partly by losing its former oddballs like Idaho and New Mexico State.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Jack and Rose are oddballs, neither fitting into their respective societal slots.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Linda May Han Oh playing classic repertoire from throughout Coltrane’s career and originals inspired by his legacy.—
Andrew Gilbert,
San Francisco Chronicle,
26 Mar. 2026
-
In January, the department implemented a new mail policy in which prisoners will receive photocopies of confidential and legal mail instead of the originals, which are shredded to prevent contraband from entering the facility.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 2018, the state legislature passed a law that outlawed the possession and sale of bump stocks, along with trigger cranks and devices that make the gun operate like an automatic weapon.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
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But as with the dismantling of huge swaths of our research capacity, the original refusal to even consider this mRNA flu vaccine on what are obviously ideological grounds shows future potential for the FDA to affect a hell of a lot more people than just the cranks who agree with them.—
The Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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About watching a movie that isn’t trying to be great, but is trying to do something, anything, to entertain weirdos like you.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 Mar. 2026
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For all you macabre-loving weirdos, HorrorHound Weekend is a great opportunity to meet other fans and industry professionals, participate in costume contests, get an autograph from a celebrity slasher and more.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Garcia, who plays cartel boss Gallino in the second season of the Paramount+ show, praised Sheridan as one of Hollywood's true mavericks.—
Lauryn Overhultz , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
1 Dec. 2025
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Most of our mavericks who fly that close to the sun never get to see that journey through.—
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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O’Hara worked consistently across her 50-year career in both film and television, best known for playing beloved kooks and amiable wackos, though her range was boundless.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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What so many of these talking heads have in common—legitimate experts, well-meaning journalists, and kooks alike—is how costly their recommendations are.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Eccentrics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eccentrics. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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