peculiarity
gb/pɪkjˌuliˈɛɹəti/ us/pɪkjˌuliˈɛɹəti/
C1
English
~ 8200
furcsaság, különlegesség, rigolya, furcsa szokás, jellegzetesség, ismertetőjegy, sajátosság, védjegy
NOUN
C1
1
furcsaság
B1
Usage pattern:
a peculiarity of [something] is [that‑clause]
One peculiarity of the software is that it only crashes when the printer is connected.
A szoftver egyik furcsasága, hogy csak akkor omlik össze, ha a nyomtató csatlakoztatva van.
A notable peculiarity of the village is that all the houses are painted bright blue.
A falu egyik feltűnő különlegessége, hogy minden ház élénkkékre van festve.
The peculiarity of his accent made it hard to guess where he was from.
Scientists are trying to explain a peculiarity in the data from the latest experiment.
This region’s climate has the peculiarities of both desert and coastal areas.
Learner examples
A peculiarity of this car is its very small windows.
Ennek az autónak az egyik furcsasága, hogy nagyon kicsik az ablakai.
The main peculiarity of the town is its pink stone buildings.
A város fő különlegessége, hogy sok épülete rózsaszín kőből épült.
There is a peculiarity in his voice that I cannot forget.
One peculiarity of this shop is that it never takes cash.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *peculiarity* when they only mean a normal feature, but the word usually suggests that the feature is strange or at least unusual. They also sometimes say *it is a peculiarity* when they need the adjective *it is peculiar*.
Meaning
unusual or strange feature
Collocations
odd peculiarity
|strange peculiarity
|curious peculiarity
|regional peculiarity
|peculiarity of the system
|peculiarity of his behavior
Synonyms
oddity (Stronger focus on how surprising or strange the feature is, often slightly negative.)
|
quirk (More informal and often lighter in tone, sometimes sounding more charming than problematic.)
Antonyms
normality (Emphasizes that nothing about the feature is unusual or unexpected.)
Themes
description
|evaluation
|culture
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A feature or quality of something that is not normal and seems strange or unusual.
An unusual or strange feature, quality, or detail that makes someone or something different from what is normal or expected.
NOUN
C1
2
rigolya
C1
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s peculiarity is [verb‑ing / that‑clause]
Her most charming peculiarity is that she laughs before she finishes the joke.
A legbájosabb rigolyája az, hogy még a vicc befejezése előtt nevetni kezd.
He had the peculiarities of always carrying three pens and never sitting with his back to the door.
Azok a rigolyái voltak, hogy mindig három tollat hordott magánál, és soha nem ült háttal az ajtónak.
One peculiarity of the professor is that he starts every class with the same old story.
I soon got used to his peculiarities, like labeling every single item in the fridge.
They accepted his little peculiarities as part of his personality.
Learner examples
Her main peculiarity is that she talks to her plants.
A fő rigolyája az, hogy a növényeihez beszél.
I like his peculiities; they make him interesting.
Szeretem a rigolyáit; ettől lesz érdekes.
One peculiarity of my father is that he always wears a hat inside.
We all have some small peculiarities in our daily life.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse *peculiarity* with *peculiar*, saying *he is a peculiarity* instead of *he is peculiar* or *he has a peculiarity*. Another mistake is to use it for major problems; it usually suggests small, specific habits, not serious disorders.
Meaning
unusual personal habit or quirk
Collocations
personal peculiity
|little peculiarity
|endearing peculiarity
|social peculiarity
|his one great peculiarity
Synonyms
quirk (Very common for small, often harmless or charming habits.)
|
idiosyncrasy (More formal and technical, often used in psychology or careful description.)
Antonyms
normal behavior (Highlights that a person acts in a usual way, without noticeable odd habits.)
Themes
personality
|relationships
|daily_life
Definition
A strange or special habit that a person has and other people notice.
An unusual personal habit, way of behaving, or mannerism that clearly distinguishes one person from others.
NOUN
C2
FORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
the peculiarities of [a system / culture / group]
A key peculiarity of the British political system is the absence of a written constitution.
A brit politikai rendszer egyik fő jellegzetessége az írott alkotmány hiánya.
The book explains the peculiarities of Japanese business culture for foreign managers.
A könyv a japán üzleti kultúra jellegzetességeit magyarázza el külföldi vezetők számára.
We need to take into account the peculiarities of the local market before launching the product.
Each language has its own peculiarities of grammar and pronunciation.
The report describes the institutional peculiarities that shaped the crisis.
Learner examples
This class will help you understand the peculiarities of English spelling.
Ez az óra segít megérteni az angol helyesírás jellegzetességeit.
The teacher talked about the peculiarities of life in a big city.
A tanár a nagyvárosi élet sajátosságairól beszélt.
Every country has its own cultural peculiarities.
We must learn the peculiarities of this legal system before we work there.
Common mistake:
Learners may think *peculiarity* always means something is strange or bad. In formal writing it often just means a special or distinctive feature, so the tone can be neutral.
Meaning
distinctive characteristic or feature
Collocations
legal peculiarity
|institutional peculiarity
|cultural peculiarity
|local peculiarity
|historical peculiarity
|national peculiarities
Synonyms
characteristic (More general and more common, without any suggestion of oddness.)
|
feature (Very broad and neutral; does not highlight distinctiveness as strongly.)
Antonyms
common feature (Emphasizes that something is shared widely, rather than being specific to one group or system.)
Themes
academia
|culture
|politics
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Definition
A special feature that clearly shows what a person, group, or system is like; it does not have to be strange.
A distinctive characteristic or feature that clearly belongs to and helps define a particular person, group, system, or thing, not necessarily implying strangeness.
Grammar
Dictionary form
peculiarity
IPA
GB/pɪkjˌuliˈɛɹəti/
US/pɪkjˌuliˈɛɹəti/
Syllables & stress
pe - cu - li - ar - ity (5 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (ar)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: peculiarity
- Plural: peculiarities, peculiarity
Word family
Forms
peculiarities
noun
Core family
peculiar
adjective B1
peculiarly
adverb C1
Expressions
a peculiarity of [something]
1/ə pɪkjˌuliˈɛɹəti əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
a distinctive or unusual feature of something
Used to say that a special or strange feature clearly belongs to a particular thing, place, person, or system.
Examples
- A peculiarity of this phone is its very long, narrow screen.
- A peculiarity of the local climate is that it can snow in early summer.