peculiar
Something peculiar is notably unusual. If your friend starts saying strange things you don't understand, ask her why she's suddenly become peculiar.
Peculiar comes from the Latin peculiaris, meaning one's own, or personal. In English, it originally meant belonging to one person, private, like your fondness for your peculiar hairbrush. It also had the meaning of something unlike others, special, or remarkable. Eventually we mostly stopped using it for belongings, instead using peculiar to mean unusual or odd.
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beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
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markedly different from the usual“a peculiar hobby of stuffing and mounting bats”“"a man...feels it a peculiar insult to be taunted with cowardice by a woman"-Virginia Woolf”
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Synonyms:
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unusual
not usual or common or ordinary
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unusual
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unique or specific to a person or thing or category“a peculiar bond of sympathy between them”“an expression peculiar to Canadians”“rights peculiar to the rich”
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synonyms:
particular, special
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specific
(sometimes followed by `to') applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique
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specific
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characteristic of one only; distinctive or special“"the peculiar character of the Government of the U.S."- R.B.Taney”
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Synonyms:
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characteristic
typical or distinctive
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characteristic
/pəˈkjuljər/
/pɪˈkjuljɪə/
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Copy citationVocabulary lists containing peculiar
Third-grader Maggie Schultz decides she does not want to learn how to read and write cursive.
Christine McVie was a prolific English songwriter and musician. Best known as vocalist and keyboardist of Fleetwood Mac, spanning four decades, McVie wrote or co-wrote several of Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits, including "Don't Stop," "Everywhere," and "Little Lies." Member of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, McVie won numerous songwriting and music awards, as well as two Grammys. She also released three solo studio albums which included hits like "Got a Hold On Me" and "Love Will Show Us How." This tribute highlights her career through song lyrics and biographical articles.
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