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

The quirky humor characteristic to details of the game such as night falling every 20 minutes and Steve’s collection of unisex turquoise blouses left behind in a storage unit with a vintage Atari also spawn laughs. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2025

Another space that sparks creativity is a quirky restaurant or dive—experiencing a new dish fills me with gratitude and an urge to explore more, which opens my mind to fresh ideas and innovative planning personally and professionally. —Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025

Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. —Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025

The two long-haired, quirky performers are banding together in this latest video game to big screen adaptation of the crafting adventure title. —Devonne Goode, Parents, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for quirky

• jerky
• murky
• perky
• turki