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peculiar

peculiar

18 4.2
A feature that belongs only to one person, group, or place
  • adjective
  • /pɪˈkjuljər/
: particular
  • And for him, the dream had its own peculiar twist: the dream of doing something real, something worthy.
  • a peculiar situation
  • a peculiar way
  • peculiar conditions

Yes, symbols in myths have their own peculiar power.

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Examples

  • I'm a proud Canadian who has traveled a peculiar path lo these many years.

  • However, Intelligence seems to feel that your peculiar talents could be of some value.

  • The whole world for each is peculiar and private to that soul.

  • So in China you have this very peculiar relationship.

  • There is no one else in my peculiar position.

  • That was one of her peculiar traits.

  • And that's why they had the peculiar link between these two.

  • These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest.

  • The American secular academy is, for Jews like myself, a peculiar kind of galut, exile.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The artist is known for his peculiar style that blends various cultural influences.

Synonyms

special
vspeculiar
∞ 1.0

Made for a particular person, purpose, or occasion

focuses on being exclusive to a person, group, or place rather than purpose
specific
vspeculiar
∞ 3.9

Clearly defined and exact for a particular thing or person

means it belongs uniquely to a person, group, or place not just precise
particular
vspeculiar
∞ 3.2

Specific and not general

stresses exclusive relation to one person, group, or place rather than a case
unique
vspeculiar
∞ 3.5

The only one of its kind

means being characteristic of one person, group, or place without being sole
distinctive
vspeculiar
104 3.9

Has a clear look or sound that makes it different from others

is about belonging exclusively to a person, group, or place instead of just different
idiosyncratic
vspeculiar
17 8.1

A way of thinking or behaving that is unusual and particular to one person

is characteristic of a person or group rather than only one individual
particularized
vspeculiar
1 8.2

Made for one person or situation, not general

emphasizes belonging or relation to a person, group, or place more than detail

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Not specific and including most people or cases

∞ 1.0

Shared by two or more people

Compounds

1 9.9

A polite phrase for slavery in the southern United States before the Civil War

peculiar velocity
  • Specialized
9.9

The speed of an object compared with the average movement of nearby stars or gas

How Characteristic

unique
∞ 3.5
peculiar
18 4.2
distinctive
104 3.9
typical
843 1.0

Surface Forms

peculiar positive
peculiarly positive

Etymology

Peculiar comes from the Latin word peculium, from pecu- meaning 'cattle' or 'property', so it originally meant 'private' or 'belonging to one person or place'. That's why today peculiar can describe something that is special or characteristic of a single person, group, or region.