idiosyncrasy
gb/ˌɪdioʊsˈɪŋkɹəsi/ us/ˌɪdioʊsˈɪŋkɹəsi/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
C1
property
1
a person's unusual habit or trait
A small unusual habit that is special to one person.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s idiosyncrasy; an idiosyncrasy of [someone]
Common mistake:
Often confused with the adjective idiosyncratic; idiosyncrasy is a noun (an odd habit/feature).
Synonyms
quirk (More informal and often lighter in tone.)
|
peculiarity (More general; can apply to people or things.)
|
eccentricity (Suggests more noticeably unusual behavior.)
Antonyms
normality (The state of being typical rather than unusual.)
|
conventionality (Following common social norms rather than being distinctive.)
Collocations
personal idiosyncrasy
|little idiosyncrasies
|endearing idiosyncrasy
|charming idiosyncrasy
|one of his/her idiosyncrasies
|a harmless idiosyncrasy
|an odd idiosyncrasy
|idiosyncrasies and quirks
|accept someone's idiosyncrasies
|tolerate someone's idiosyncrasies
Themes
personality
|social
|daily_life
Examples
- One of her idiosyncrasies is that she labels everything in the fridge.
- He spoke softly, which was an idiosyncrasy people remembered about him.
- We learned to laugh at his harmless idiosyncrasies.
Learner examples
- Biting my nails is an idiosyncrasy.
- Everyone has a few idiosyncrasies.
Noun
C1
property
2
a distinctive odd feature of something
A strange or special feature of something (like a system or tool).
Usage pattern:
an idiosyncrasy of [thing/system/process]; the idiosyncrasies of [thing]
Common mistake:
Do not use for a serious defect or failure; it often suggests a minor, distinctive quirk rather than a major problem.
Synonyms
quirk (Common and informal; often used for products or systems too.)
|
oddity (Highlights how strange something seems.)
|
feature (Neutral; does not necessarily imply it is unusual.)
Antonyms
standardization (Being uniform and following a standard rather than being distinctive.)
|
uniformity (Lack of special or unusual differences.)
Collocations
the idiosyncrasies of the system
|the idiosyncrasies of the language
|the idiosyncrasies of the market
|software idiosyncrasies
|a design idiosyncrasy
|an idiosyncrasy of the process
|deal with the idiosyncrasies
|work around an idiosyncrasy
|learn the idiosyncrasies
|the platform's idiosyncrasies
Themes
technology
|business
|communication
Examples
- The app has a few idiosyncrasies, but it’s reliable once you get used to it.
- One idiosyncrasy of this keyboard is that the Enter key is unusually small.
- She wrote a guide to help new staff navigate the idiosyncrasies of the booking system.
Learner examples
- This program has some idiosyncrasies.
- You will get used to the system’s idiosyncrasies.
Noun
technical
C2
event
3
an unusual individual medical reaction
A rare reaction that only some people have to a medicine or substance.
Usage pattern:
an idiosyncrasy to [drug/substance]; a drug idiosyncrasy
Common mistake:
In everyday speech, people usually say allergic reaction or side effect; this use is more medical and specific.
Synonyms
idiosyncratic reaction (Close medical synonym; explicit that it is a reaction.)
|
adverse reaction (Broader; not necessarily unusual or individual-specific.)
Antonyms
tolerance (Ability to take a drug without an unusual reaction.)
Collocations
drug idiosyncrasy
|an idiosyncrasy to penicillin
|an idiosyncrasy to anesthesia
|patient idiosyncrasy
|an idiosyncratic reaction
|unpredictable idiosyncrasy
|rare idiosyncrasy
|idiosyncrasy to a medication
Themes
health
|medicine
Examples
- The clinician suspected an idiosyncrasy to the medication rather than a typical side effect.
- Because of a previous idiosyncrasy to anesthesia, he was monitored closely during the procedure.
- The report described a rare drug idiosyncrasy in a small number of patients.
Grammar
Dictionary form
idiosyncrasy
IPA
GB/ˌɪdioʊsˈɪŋkɹəsi/
US/ˌɪdioʊsˈɪŋkɹəsi/
Syllables & stress
idio - syn - crasy (3 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (crasy)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: idiosyncrasy
- Plural: idiosyncrasies
Word family
Forms
idiosyncrasies
noun
Core family
idiosyncratic
adjective C1
Advanced or less common
idiosyncratically
adverb
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.