peculiarity
gb/pɪkjˌuliˈɛɹəti/ us/pɪkjˌuliˈɛɹəti/
C1
English
~ 8200
Senses
0 senses
Noun
C1
property
1
unusual or strange feature
A feature or quality of something that is not normal and seems strange or unusual.
Usage pattern:
a peculiarity of [something] is [that‑clause]
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*.
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.)
Collocations
odd peculiarity
|strange peculiarity
|curious peculiarity
|regional peculiarity
|peculiarity of the system
|peculiarity of his behavior
Themes
description
|evaluation
|culture
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- One peculiarity of the software is that it only crashes when the printer is connected.
- A notable peculiarity of the village is that all the houses are painted bright blue.
- 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.
- The main peculiarity of the town is its pink stone buildings.
- There is a peculiarity in his voice that I cannot forget.
- One peculiarity of this shop is that it never takes cash.
Noun
C1
property
2
unusual personal habit or quirk
A strange or special habit that a person has and other people notice.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s peculiarity is [verb‑ing / that‑clause]
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.
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.)
Collocations
personal peculiity
|little peculiarity
|endearing peculiarity
|social peculiarity
|his one great peculiarity
Themes
personality
|relationships
|daily_life
Examples
- Her most charming peculiarity is that she laughs before she finishes the joke.
- He had the peculiarities of always carrying three pens and never sitting with his back to the door.
- 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.
- I like his peculiities; they make him interesting.
- One peculiarity of my father is that he always wears a hat inside.
- We all have some small peculiarities in our daily life.
Noun
formal
C2
entity
3
distinctive characteristic or feature
A special feature that clearly shows what a person, group, or system is like; it does not have to be strange.
Usage pattern:
the peculiarities of [a system / culture / group]
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.
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.)
Collocations
legal peculiarity
|institutional peculiarity
|cultural peculiarity
|local peculiarity
|historical peculiarity
|national peculiarities
Themes
academia
|culture
|politics
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- A key peculiarity of the British political system is the absence of a written constitution.
- The book explains the peculiarities of Japanese business culture for foreign managers.
- 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.
- The teacher talked about the peculiarities of life in a big city.
- Every country has its own cultural peculiarities.
- We must learn the peculiarities of this legal system before we work there.
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.