quirky

adjective

ˈkwər-kē 

quirkier; quirkiest

: having many quirks : unusual in especially an interesting or appealing way

a quirky sense of humor

quirky ideas/behavior

a quirky and creative artist

… the SoHo store known for its modern, often quirky home accessories …

—Marianne Rohrlich

The result is an extraordinarily fine film, a quieter, more centered vision of Garp's world that loses little of the quirky humor of the original …

—Molly Haskell

quirkily

ˈkwər-kə-lē 

adverb

His political ideas, which had seemed quirkily brilliant in the 1900's …

—Wilfrid Sheed

… he is gregarious and energetic and … enjoys a quirkily methodical, omnivorous turn of mind …

—Cullen Murphy

quirkiness

ˈkwər-kē-nəs 

noun

… is gaining international prominence in interior-design circles simply because its content diverges with typically English quirkiness, from that of its competitors.

—John Duka

Synonyms

• bizarre
• bizarro
• cranky
• crazy
• curious
• eccentric
• erratic
• far-out
• funky
• funny
• kinky
• kooky
• kookie
• odd
• off-kilter
• off-the-wall
• offbeat
• out-of-the-way
• outlandish
• outré
• peculiar
• quaint
• queer
• queerish
• remarkable
• rum [chiefly British]
• screwy
• spaced-out
• strange
• wacky
• whacky
• way-out
• weird
• weirdo
• wild

Examples of quirky in a Sentence

the waitress styles her hair in a quirky way that always gets her remembered by customers

Recent Examples on the Web

Wendy’s has been capturing the attention (and wallets) of customers with quirky, limited-time promotions like its SpongeBob KrappyPatty burger and Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024

Teri Garr, Tootsie and Young Frankenstein Star, Dies at 79 As Buffay makes the realization, the laughs start, as Abbott shares the same quirky mannerisms as her daughter. —Dory Jackson, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024

Kelce matched her energy in a quirky Gucci bucket hat and cardigan. —Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024

This election, Nebraska has been in the national spotlight multiple times, including for competitive national races and its quirky electoral vote system. —Maya Marchel Hoff, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above