1
as in trick
an odd or peculiar habit
for all of her quiddities, she is a very wise and generous lady
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2
as in essence
the quality or qualities that make a thing what it is
Rembrandt's genius was his unparalleled ability to render a person's quiddity in a single portrait
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Recent Examples of quiddity
Or: The matter of their mattering is what’s put into contention, as their material quiddity serves as a means for activating a dynamic contrast with the space around them.
—
Travis Jeppesen, Artforum, 19 Aug. 2024
The task was to find the spiritual quiddity of God’s gifts in nature, piece by piece, and to assemble them into a divine whole.
—Zachary Fine, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
Teffi bids us to accept the mystery of this strange business of life in all its delightful quiddity.
—Sara Wheeler, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2021
None of these quiddities has much to do with efficient military training.
—Steele Brand, Time, 20 Sep. 2019
Our skulls are like space helmets; we are trapped in our heads, unable to convey the quiddity of our sensations.
—Jason Pontin, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2018
Travis Jeppesen, Artforum, 19 Aug. 2024
The task was to find the spiritual quiddity of God’s gifts in nature, piece by piece, and to assemble them into a divine whole.
—Zachary Fine, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
Teffi bids us to accept the mystery of this strange business of life in all its delightful quiddity.
—Sara Wheeler, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2021
None of these quiddities has much to do with efficient military training.
—Steele Brand, Time, 20 Sep. 2019
Our skulls are like space helmets; we are trapped in our heads, unable to convey the quiddity of our sensations.
—Jason Pontin, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quiddity
Noun
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Many of his later programs have been capped by a coda in which the tricks of the trade are laid bare—no trick being more vital than that of extreme patience, with camera operators waiting days, or even weeks, for the right cub, or pup, or fledgling, or froglet, to show up.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
There is not a whole lot to chuckle about these days, and her column does the trick for me every week.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
In his first Inaugural Address, on March 4, 1861, with seven states having already seceded from the Union, Lincoln proclaimed the essence of secession to be anarchy.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The parks commissioner, the infamous Henry Stern, loved the version of the plan which, in essence, extended the Park’s south end entrance.—
Lucius Riccio,
New York Daily News,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
One of the traits that made the B’s game so good in Game 5 was the fact that they were connected as a five-man unit all night.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
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In nine short, potent chapters, Beckerman lays out the essential traits of an effective dissident — loyalty, recklessness and watchfulness, among them — to illustrate how communities of resistance are built from the ground up.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The proceeds will go toward the nonprofit, which seeks to support people living with addiction and move past the stigma that surrounds substance use abuse disorder.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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On 2016’s The Sun’s Tirade, Rashad detailed recent experiences of substance abuse and depression.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
That realization has led some investors to examine assets with different characteristics.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
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While acknowledging that antisemites may have good characteristics—a loving husband, a generous and conscientious citizen—Sartre claimed that their hatred ultimately defines them.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
8 May 2026
Noun
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Using magnetic fields, this system enables power transfer to electric ships without physical metal contact, shielding vital components from nature’s corrosive elements.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
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Given the mercurial nature of American trade policy, EU Parliamentary officials want to see the Turnberry deal strengthened with protections for European markets, including a provision that would suspend the trade agreement if Washington imposes new duties and an expiration date of March 31, 2028.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
First there was Lil Baby and Gunna, turning his melodies into a radio rap format by ditching the idiosyncrasies.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
24 Apr. 2026
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Most of the videos are gentle teasing about the idiosyncrasies of working at a bar or retreads of other viral videos.—
Lauren Chapman,
Sacbee.com,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Some works don’t need to be reimagined to remain relevant, and their singularity should be reason enough alone for the people most inspired by them to leave them untouched.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
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More specifically, individual dark spots known as optical vortices, or phase singularities, do so.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quiddity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quiddity. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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