oddity

IPA/ˈɒdəti/
KK[ˈɑdəti]IPA/ˈɑːdəti/

oddity — noun

  • odditysingular
  • odditiesplural

1. a person, thing, or habit that stands out as strange compared with what is usual

1.nounC1
Definition

a person, thing, or habit that stands out as strange compared with what is usual around them

Example

Among modern cafés, Anong's wooden teahouse was a charming oddity on the busy street.

a + adjective + oddity for a strange but appealing thing

The old clock with thirteen numbers was the prized oddity in Arjun's collection.

the oddity in + a collection

Common collocations
  • a charming oddity
  • a bit of an oddity
  • a real oddity
  • the oddity in the collection
  • regarded as an oddity
Synonyms
  • curiosity

    more positive; suggests something interesting because it is unusual

  • rarity

    stresses that the thing is hard to find rather than strange in nature

  • quirk

    usually a small unusual habit or feature, not a whole person or object

Grammar Patterns

be a real oddity

an oddity in + group/collection

a bit of an oddity

Usage Note

Subject is typically a person, object, or habit that the speaker finds unusual but not bad. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the thing itself, not the quality of being strange.

Common Mistakes

He has the oddity of arriving late.
He has the odd habit of arriving late.
'oddity' usually names a strange thing or person, not a personal habit; use 'odd habit' or 'quirk' for habits.

2. the fact or quality of being clearly different from what people usually see or e

2.nounC1
Definition

the fact or quality of being clearly different from what people usually see or expect

Example

Sivan was struck by the oddity of an empty stadium during a championship match.

the oddity of + noun phrase

The article discusses the oddity of having snow in the desert town.

formal use in writing or analysis

Common collocations
  • the oddity of the situation
  • notice the oddity
  • comment on the oddity
  • sense the oddity
  • remark on the oddity
Synonyms
  • strangeness

    everyday equivalent; less formal and slightly stronger in feel

  • peculiarity

    often used when describing the special character of a place or custom

  • eccentricity

    usually applies to people's behaviour rather than situations

Antonyms
  • normality

    the state of being ordinary or expected

Grammar Patterns

the oddity of + noun phrase

notice the oddity of + situation

comment on the oddity of + behaviour

Usage Note

Frequently follows 'the' and is followed by 'of' + a situation or behaviour, often in writing or careful speech. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense focuses on the strangeness itself, not on a particular strange thing.

Word family

  • odd
    adjectiveB1
  • oddly
    adverbB2
  • oddness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Oddity' names a person, object, or habit that clearly stands out because it does not match what people around it expect; the tone is neutral or mildly amused rather than harsh. 'Curiosity' overlaps with 'oddity' but leans more positive, highlighting that the thing is interesting precisely because it is unusual — a museum may display 'natural curiosities', not 'natural oddities'. 'Rarity' shifts the focus from strangeness to scarcity: the thing may look ordinary but is hard to find, such as 'a true rarity in this region'. 'Quirk' is smaller in scale and usually picks out a single charming habit or detail of a person or system, rather than the whole person or object. So a teahouse hidden among modern cafés is an oddity, an antique map with a sea monster is a curiosity, a 1500-year-old coin is a rarity, and someone's habit of speaking in rhymes is a quirk.

oddity ↗curiosity ↗rarity ↗quirk ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • historical oddity
  • cultural oddity
  • statistical oddity

Phrases

  • a bit of an oddity
  • regarded as an oddity
  • notice the oddity

Prepositions

  • oddity in
  • oddity of
  • oddity among

Etymology

Old NorseEnglish

Built in English from the adjective 'odd' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ity', which makes abstract nouns. 'Odd' came into English from Old Norse 'oddi', originally meaning a point or a triangle and so the unpaired third item in a group of three. From that idea of being the leftover one, 'odd' came to mean unusual, and 'oddity' developed in the seventeenth century to name either the unusual thing itself or the quality of being unusual.