oddity

[ od-i-tee ]

noun

, plural odd·i·ties

1. an odd or remarkably unusual person, thing, or event.

   Synonyms: wonder, curiosity, rarity

2. the quality of being odd; singularity, strangeness, or eccentricity.
3. an odd characteristic or trait; peculiarity.

oddity

/ ˈɒdɪtɪ /

noun

1. an odd person or thing
2. an odd quality or characteristic
3. the condition of being odd

Word History and Origins

Origin of oddity¹

First recorded in 1705–15; odd + -ity

Example Sentences

The mixing plant that routinely filled fleets of trucks with ready-to-pour concrete stood out as an urban oddity in its final years, a dusty, noisy industrial yard on busy La Brea Avenue near Santa Monica Boulevard, across the street from a shopping center with a Target store.

From Los Angeles Times

The oddity of the xG figures at Atalanta and Dortmund perhaps highlight just how devastating the Bundesliga side's finishing was in Germany, but Schmeichel avoided his goal being breached in Bergamo by pulling off six saves.

From BBC

Solvang, the vestige of a Danish settlement once regarded as something of an oddity of the Central Valley, now has lines out the door of every restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times

He’s an energy vampire we’ll legitimately miss having around due to his delirious combination of basicness and oddity.

From Salon

I’m feeling better than I have in quite a while since it now seems possible that we’ll be able to relegate Trump to the status of a historical oddity.

From Salon

Related Words

• abnormality
• anomaly
• characteristic
• curiosity
• idiosyncrasy
• incongruity
• irregularity
• peculiarity
• phenomenon
• quirk
• rarity