Meaning & use

peculiarity

noun·Academic

A characteristic or habit that is unusual or distinctive to a particular person or thing.

See it in a sentence

One peculiarity of the old house was a staircase that led nowhere at all.

Everyone in the family has their own peculiarities, like Dad's habit of humming while cooking.

A note on using this word

Peculiarity can describe something merely distinctive, not necessarily negative, unlike words like flaw or defect.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “peculiarity”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.