peculiar
Americanadjective
-
strange; queer; odd.
peculiar happenings.
-
uncommon; unusual.
the peculiar hobby of stuffing and mounting bats.
- Synonyms:
- exceptional, singular, extraordinary
- Antonyms:
- common
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distinctive in nature or character from others.
-
belonging characteristically (usually followed byto ).
an expression peculiar to Canadians.
-
belonging exclusively to some person, group, or thing.
the peculiar properties of a drug.
- Synonyms:
- unique, special, particular, personal, individual
- Antonyms:
- common
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Astronomy. designating a star or galaxy with special properties that deviates from others of its spectral type or galaxy class.
noun
-
a property or privilege belonging exclusively or characteristically to a person.
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British. a particular parish or church that is exempted from the jurisdiction of the ordinary or bishop in whose diocese it lies and is governed by another.
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Also called arbitraries. British Printing. peculiars. special characters not generally included in standard type fonts, as phonetic symbols, mathematical symbols, etc.
adjective
-
strange or unusual; odd
a peculiar individual
a peculiar idea
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distinct from others; special
-
belonging characteristically or exclusively (to)
peculiar to North America
noun
-
Also called: arbitrary. printing a special sort, esp an accented letter
-
Church of England a church or parish that is exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary in whose diocese it lies
Related Words
See strange.
Other Word Forms
- peculiarly adverb
- unpeculiar adjective
- unpeculiarly adverb
Etymology
Origin of peculiar
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; from Latin pecūliāris “as one's own,” equivalent to pecūli(um) “property” (derivative of pecū “flock, farm animals”; akin to pecus “cattle” ( see fee)) + -āris -ar 1
Explanation
Something peculiar is notably unusual. If your friend starts saying strange things you don't understand, ask her why she's suddenly become peculiar. Peculiar comes from the Latin peculiaris, meaning one's own, or personal. In English, it originally meant belonging to one person, private, like your fondness for your peculiar hairbrush. It also had the meaning of something unlike others, special, or remarkable. Eventually we mostly stopped using it for belongings, instead using peculiar to mean unusual or odd.
Vocabulary lists containing peculiar
List 1
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Graham was accustomed to preaching in peculiar settings, including several trips he made behind the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
He jokes about the defamation suit, about the friends who stopped calling and the peculiar loneliness of being cancelled in the age of social media, where your worth is measured in real-time metrics.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
This dinosaur belonged to a peculiar group of bird like theropods called alvarezsaurs.
From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026
The seven-part limited series, which aired its second episode Sunday, subverts expectations at every turn, from its peculiar characters to the layered storytelling of writer-showrunner-director Steven Conrad to the nuanced performances of an enviable cast.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
His method of tidying was peculiar: he simply swallowed all the flies and spiders in the boxes before I could stop him.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
