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Synonym Chooser

How is the word peculiar distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of peculiar are eccentric, erratic, odd, outlandish, quaint, singular, strange, and unique. While all these words mean "departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected," peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness.

the peculiar status of America's first lady

In what contexts can eccentric take the place of peculiar?

While in some cases nearly identical to peculiar, eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior.

the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers

When could erratic be used to replace peculiar?

The words erratic and peculiar are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating.

a friend's suddenly erratic behavior

When is odd a more appropriate choice than peculiar?

The synonyms odd and peculiar are sometimes interchangeable, but odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected.

an odd sense of humor

When would outlandish be a good substitute for peculiar?

The meanings of outlandish and peculiar largely overlap; however, outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric.

outlandish fashions of the time

When is it sensible to use quaint instead of peculiar?

Although the words quaint and peculiar have much in common, quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness.

a quaint fishing village

Where would singular be a reasonable alternative to peculiar?

The words singular and peculiar can be used in similar contexts, but singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness.

a singular feeling of impending disaster

When can strange be used instead of peculiar?

In some situations, the words strange and peculiar are roughly equivalent. However, strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable.

a journey filled with strange sights

When might unique be a better fit than peculiar?

While the synonyms unique and peculiar are close in meaning, unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel.

a career unique in the annals of science

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of peculiar Rereading the book now, a decade later, I am struck most by its peculiar guilelessness. Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2025 Tom Williams has covered another peculiar situation, Kylian Mbappe’s relationship with France’s national team. Phil Hay, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025 The situation was so peculiar that Goldberg himself wondered if he was being set up or led astray by hoaxers. Niall Stanage, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025 Take a moment to reflect on how peculiar—and suboptimal—this is. Rob Toews, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for peculiar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peculiar
Adjective
  • Read More | McClatchy News continues to follow the discovery of the most unusual and intriguing new species.
    Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Instead of relying on old red flags like misspellings or poor grammar, employees should be trained to identify behavioral anomalies, such as unexpected requests for urgent financial transactions or unusual communication patterns.
    Stephen Moore, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The unique role required a performer who could pass as young as age 7 and as old as 22 — a strange consequence of the real case that inspired the series.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 Apr. 2025
  • To make the picture even stranger, the backseat door of the car is open and another backseat passenger’s leg is just barely visible.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • For those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, skin reactions like eczema are not uncommon.
    Lauren O'Connor, MS, Health, 30 Mar. 2025
  • This doesn’t mean that iron jewelry was uncommon during the Viking Age.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Once data has gone into a public chatbot, there’s very little control over what happens to it, and there have been cases of personal data entered by one user being exposed in responses to other users.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The benefits of using apple cider vinegar for sleep or taking it specifically at night are largely based on personal accounts rather than research.
    Johna Burdeos, Health, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • These minerals vary depending on the spring, giving sparkling water its distinctive taste profiles—from softly bubbly and subtly salty to bracingly effervescent with a sharp minerality.
    Emily Price, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • This distinctive hue, paler in the center and deeper around the edges, evokes the shimmering beauty of alpine glaciers and lakes and the change in their reflections as the light changes and time passes.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Ryan Coogler brings so much style to this very cool blend of a specific period, genres, and Black culture.
    Pat Saperstein, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
  • The president revealed that the U.S. will place additional tariffs on specific countries, for example China, which have benefited from large trade surpluses with the U.S.
    Charles Lloyd Bovaird II, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Moral Feelings, Moral Reality, and Moral Progress by Thomas Nagel Omer Bartov ‘Infinite License’ The memory of the Holocaust has, perversely, been enlisted to justify both the eradication of Gaza and the extraordinary silence with which that violence has been met.
    Catherine Hall, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2025
  • In July 2025, Haas will offer travelers an extraordinary journey through Colombia, providing insights into the resilience, history, and contributions of Afro-descendant communities.
    Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But their work didn’t rule out the possibility of bizarre algorithms that could somehow use the same piece of memory for storage and calculations simultaneously—the computing equivalent of using a page filled with important notes as scratch paper.
    Ben Brubaker, Wired News, 30 Mar. 2025
  • The movie, based on the video game of the same name, centers around four misfits who are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 30 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Peculiar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peculiar. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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