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idiosyncrasy

idiosyncrasy

12 8.3
An unusual personal habit or way of behaving that makes someone different
  • noun
  • /ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkrəsi/
translation icon : idiosincrasia
  • Everyone has their own idiosyncrasies, like the way he insists on organizing his books by color.
  • personal idiosyncrasy
  • individual idiosyncrasy
  • cultural idiosyncrasies

Now, these practices are not the idiosyncrasies of historians alone.

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Examples

  • Schools must be willing to respond to the cultural idiosyncrasies of each subgroup.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Detailing all of the decision paths and idiosyncrasies associated with neuroimaging is beyond the scope of this article.

    Academic text (2008)
  • In fact, my wife and I often argue over a little idiosyncrasy I have.

  • As a matter of fact, this idiosyncrasy of mine led me once into unexpected trouble.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Those little idiosyncrasies that only I knew about.

  • And they finally did learn to live with each other's little idiosyncrasies.

  • It's one of my little idiosyncrasies.

  • She had all sorts of wonderful idiosyncrasies.

  • I had heard most about his teachers, whose idiosyncrasies he dwelled upon with affection.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Factor loadings depend to a large extent on the idiosyncrasies of the sample population.

    Academic text (2000)

Synonyms

quirk
vsidiosyncrasy
40 6.0

An unusual habit or trait that makes a person different

is a unique trait that defines an individual more broadly than a small habit
mannerism
vsidiosyncrasy
19 5.3

A usual way of behaving, speaking, or moving that makes a person easy to recognize

is the unique personal feature rather than any repeated behaviour alone
peculiarity
vsidiosyncrasy
14 6.1

An unusual feature that makes someone or something different

is a unique personal characteristic rather than any general unusual feature
foible
vsidiosyncrasy
12 8.0

A small personal fault or odd habit that is not serious

is a distinct defining trait rather than a slight personal weakness
oddity
vsidiosyncrasy
12 5.9

An unusual habit, quality, or way of thinking

is a unique trait that need not be bizarre or socially odd
distinctiveness
vsidiosyncrasy
4 6.0

A quality that makes someone or something stand out from others

is a personal, peculiar trait unique to one individual not just difference
quirkiness
vsidiosyncrasy
3 5.6

An unusual but pleasant way of behaving

is a unique odd characteristic, not only a pleasant or fun quality

Antonyms

31 4.6

A quality that people or things share

13 3.5

A time when things are usual and happen as expected

How Distinctive

eccentricity
15 7.8
peculiarity
14 6.1
idiosyncrasy
12 8.3
quirk
40 6.0
trait
226 3.5
feature
566 2.5

Surface Forms

idiosyncrasy singular

Morphology

idiosyncrasy = idio + syn + crasy

Although the word can be segmented into Greek combining forms (idio-, syn-, -crasy), in modern English it is a borrowed lexical item and learners cannot reliably derive the meaning from the visible parts.

Etymology

Idiosyncrasy comes from old Greek parts idio- meaning 'own' and krasis meaning 'mix' or 'temper', so it originally described a person's own 'mix' of traits. That's why an idiosyncrasy is a small, personal habit or feature that makes someone unique.