Meaning & use
quirky
Last updated
UK/ˈkwɜː.ki/
US/ˈkwɝː.ki/
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Unusual in a charming or amusing way, with habits or features that are slightly odd.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a quirky cafe; the cafe is quirky.
Patterns
- a quirky sense of humor
The town has a quirky little museum of clocks.
She has a quirky sense of humor.
The film is a quirky comedy about a lost robot.
Word forms
| comparative | quirkier |
|---|---|
| superlative | quirkiest |
Common combinations
- quirky sense of humor
- Her quirky sense of humor wins people over.
- quirky charm
- The house has quirky charm.
- quirky character
- The novel features a quirky character.
- delightfully quirky
- The shop is delightfully quirky.
Synonyms and how they differ
- eccentric
- Eccentric suggests behavior clearly outside the norm and can be stronger or less friendly.
- offbeat
- Offbeat stresses being unconventional, often about style or culture.
- odd
- Odd is neutral or negative, while quirky usually carries affection.
Opposites
Word family
- quirk noun
- a peculiar habit or feature
- quirkiness noun
- the quality of being quirky
- quirkily adverb
- in a quirky way
Commonly confused: quirky or quirk?
quirky vs quirk
A quirk is the odd trait itself; quirky describes something that has such traits.
Practice
The cafe is full of mismatched chairs and old maps, which gives it a ___ charm.
Choose one answer.
Quirky suggests pleasant oddness. The other adjectives imply nothing unusual, so they do not fit mismatched decor.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quirky”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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