1
Core meaning
A distinctive habit, feature, or manner peculiar to an individual or group.
Example
Numbering every page twice was one of his idiosyncrasies.
idiosyncrasy
/ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkrəsi/ · id-ee-uh-SING-kruh-seenoun
A distinctive habit, feature, or manner peculiar to an individual or group.
Use idiosyncrasy to express this relationship precisely: a distinctive habit, feature, or manner peculiar to an individual or group.
What idiosyncrasy Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Common noun frame
Use this noun in a complete noun phrase, adding the complement that identifies what it refers to when needed.
Example
The spelling reflects an idiosyncrasy of the manuscript.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact concept matters; a related term may describe its cause, evidence, or opposite instead.
Example
A useful model should not mistake one local idiosyncrasy for a universal rule.
Use idiosyncrasy Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Numbering every page twice was one of his idiosyncrasies.
The spelling reflects an idiosyncrasy of the manuscript.
A useful model should not mistake one local idiosyncrasy for a universal rule.
Precision Matters
Idiosyncrasy overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
idiosyncrasy
vs.Means a distinctive habit, feature, or manner peculiar to an individual or group.
anomaly
Means something outside what is normal, expected, or consistent with a pattern.
idiosyncrasy
vs.Means a distinctive habit, feature, or manner peculiar to an individual or group.
quintessential
Means representing the most typical, perfect, or defining example of a quality, class, or style.
idiosyncrasy
vs.Means a distinctive habit, feature, or manner peculiar to an individual or group.
conventional
Means based on established practice, tradition, or general acceptance.
idiosyncrasy
vs.Means a distinctive habit, feature, or manner peculiar to an individual or group.
eccentric
Means highly unconventional or noticeably unusual.
Test idiosyncrasy in Context
The habit is a distinctive peculiarity of one person.
1
Her habit of arranging books by their first sentence was a harmless ___.