as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits
she's known as the office oddball
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in bizarre
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oddball
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
In the meantime, the team continues to search for similar objects to determine whether Cloud-9 is an oddball or part of a larger cohort of relics.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
Expect bells-and-whistles orchestral shows full of the oddball jokes, elaborate choreographies, and technological thrills that have made the Talking Heads frontman’s recent live show the biggest boon of his solo career.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oddball
Noun
If anything, O’Hara’s brilliance came from her ability to unearth the oddball in anybody.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2026
In the meantime, the team continues to search for similar objects to determine whether Cloud-9 is an oddball or part of a larger cohort of relics.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Authoring this noisy, jazzy track all by his lonesome, Weir vocally zig-zagged his way across a cluttered arrangement flush with oddball time changes.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 11 Jan. 2026
Expect bells-and-whistles orchestral shows full of the oddball jokes, elaborate choreographies, and technological thrills that have made the Talking Heads frontman’s recent live show the biggest boon of his solo career.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oddball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oddball
Noun
-
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
Adjective
-
The band performed the song, sans Pat Smear who is recovering from a bizarre gardening accident that led to a broken foot, on The Graham Norton Show on Friday.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
22 Feb. 2026
-
All three runners had reached base, and all were tagged out on one bizarre play.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Over the past week, a slew of cinematic videos of celebrities and characters in absurd situations have gone viral online, with one commonality –– they were created using a new artificial intelligence tool from Chinese developer ByteDance, sparking anxiety over the fast-evolving capabilities of AI.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Transfers have been cancelled if, as Foster says, a player’s character is judged not to be a good fit.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In the footage and images released by the FBI, the suspect appears to have a gun holstered near the center of his waist – an unusual position – and is seen wearing a backpack with reflective straps.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Austin criminal defense attorney Sam Bassett told CBS affiliate KEYE-TV that a declaration of innocence is very unusual.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And while the name has changed and updates and expansions have been made over the decades, the soul and aesthetics of the original still come through.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
-
During the show’s wildly popular first season, Robby was treated as a swaggering, tortured heartthrob by the viewers who turned this HBO Max original into an Emmy-winning success.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Costume designer Lissy Turner drapes Parsons in flowy layers and embroidered velvet, conveying everything the audience needs to know about this woman and her kooky, open-minded beliefs.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Rachel is showing her authentic self, and that authentic self is creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Oddball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oddball. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
