eccentric

adjective B2 property

1

unusual or odd in behavior

describing a person or way of doing things that is very different from what most people think is normal, often in an interesting or strange way

Patrón de uso: eccentric [person/behavior/habit/style]

Error frecuente:

Learners sometimes use 'eccentric' when they mean 'crazy' or 'insane'. 'Eccentric' usually suggests unusual or strange in an interesting or harmless way, not serious mental illness. Another common mistake is using it only for things; in modern English it most often describes people and their behavior.

Sinónimos

odd (More general and sometimes more negative; can suggest something is simply strange without charm.) | quirky (Often more positive and playful; suggests small, endearing unusual traits rather than strongly strange behavior.) | unconventional (Focuses on not following normal rules or traditions, and may sound more neutral or slightly positive than 'eccentric'.)

Antónimos

conventional (Describes someone or something that follows accepted customs and normal ways of doing things, the opposite of eccentric in this social sense.) | normal (Suggests average or usual behavior, without unusual or striking traits.)

Colocaciones

Temas

personality |social_life |description |core_vocabulary |relationships

Ejemplos

Her taste in clothing is a little eccentric, but it suits her personality perfectly.
The author is known for his eccentric lifestyle, living alone in a lighthouse with six cats.
They decorated the restaurant in an eccentric style, with mismatched chairs and bright neon signs.
His eccentric ideas about time and space made him famous in the scientific community.
She has some eccentric habits, like talking to her plants every morning.

Ejemplos para estudiantes

My uncle is very eccentric and wears bright yellow suits.
The artist lives in an eccentric way and sleeps during the day.
He has an eccentric style, with different colored shoes on each foot.
People think she is eccentric because she collects old umbrellas.
The movie shows an eccentric man who talks to birds.

Sustantivo C1 entity

2

person with very unusual habits

a person who acts or lives in a very different and unusual way compared with most people

Patrón de uso: an eccentric; [someone] is an eccentric

Error frecuente:

Learners sometimes confuse the noun 'an eccentric' with the adjective 'eccentric'. Remember you say 'He is an eccentric' (noun) or 'He is eccentric' (adjective), without 'an' before the adjective.

Sinónimos

oddball (Informal and more casual; can sound more humorous or slightly mocking than 'eccentric'.) | individualist (Focuses more on independence from social norms than on strangeness; often more positive or neutral.)

Antónimos

conformist (Refers to someone who follows social norms and accepted ways of behaving, opposite to an eccentric person.) | regular guy (Informal phrase for a typical or average person without notably unusual traits.)

Colocaciones

a bit of an eccentric |harmless eccentric |local eccentric |brilliant eccentric |wealthy eccentric

Temas

people |personality |social_life |core_vocabulary |relationships

Ejemplos

The village has a few eccentrics, including a man who rides a unicycle to work every day.
People thought she was an eccentric, but her strange ideas eventually changed the industry.
As a teenager he felt like an eccentric among his classmates, always reading obscure books.
The town eccentric walks his pet goat through the main square every morning.
He was considered a harmless eccentric who preferred talking to birds rather than to people.

Ejemplos para estudiantes

Everyone in the city knows the old man; he is a real eccentric.
Her neighbors think she is an eccentric because she never leaves her house during the day.
The writer was an eccentric who lived on a small island alone.
People called him an eccentric, but his ideas later became very popular.

adjective technical C1 property

3

not having the same center

describing a line, path, or circle that does not go around the exact middle point, but is away from it

Patrón de uso: eccentric [orbit/path/circle]

Error frecuente:

Learners may mix this technical sense with the personality sense. In science and engineering, 'eccentric' usually means 'off-center', not 'strange'. Context with words like 'orbit', 'path', or 'circle' usually signals this technical meaning.

Sinónimos

off-center (Plain, everyday description that means not exactly centered, without the technical flavor of 'eccentric'.) | non-circular (Emphasizes not being a perfect circle; overlaps in astronomy when describing orbits.)

Antónimos

concentric (Describes circles or shapes that share the same center point, the opposite of eccentric in geometry.) | circular (In astronomy, a circular orbit is the opposite of a very eccentric one, which is stretched out or off-center.)

Colocaciones

eccentric orbit |eccentric path |eccentric circle |highly eccentric |slightly eccentric

Temas

science |math |technology |space

Ejemplos

Many comets follow highly eccentric orbits that bring them close to the sun and then far out into space.
The planet's slightly eccentric orbit causes small changes in its distance from its star.
Engineers had to account for the eccentric motion of the wheel as it rotated around an off-center axis.
The diagram shows an eccentric circle whose center does not match the center of the larger ring.
Eccentric paths of the satellites can lead to variations in their signal strength.

Ejemplos para estudiantes

Some planets move in an eccentric orbit, not a perfect circle.
The wheel moves in an eccentric way because the middle is not in the right place.
In this picture, the small circle is eccentric and is not in the center of the big circle.
The machine part goes around in an eccentric path, not in a smooth circle.

adjective technical C2 property

4

off-center in mechanical design

describing a machine or building part that is not in the exact middle, so it turns or carries weight in an uneven way

Patrón de uso: eccentric [shaft/cam/loading/mount]

Error frecuente:

Learners may wrongly assume this technical sense still means 'strange'. In mechanical and structural contexts, 'eccentric' almost always means 'off-center' rather than 'unusual' in personality.

Sinónimos

offset (Common in engineering; focuses on being moved away from the center or usual position.) | non-central (More descriptive and less technical; just states that something is not in the middle.)

Antónimos

concentric (In mechanical design, describes parts that share the same center line, opposite to eccentric components.) | central (Indicates being at or near the center, which is the opposite arrangement of an eccentric part.)

Colocaciones

eccentric loading |eccentric shaft |eccentric cam |eccentric mounting |eccentric movement

Temas

engineering |technology |construction |science |work

Ejemplos

The pump uses an eccentric cam to convert rotational motion into a back-and-forth movement.
Eccentric loading on the column caused it to bend rather than compress straight down.
An eccentric shaft allows the mechanism to create a vibrating motion as it spins.
The engineer redesigned the part to reduce eccentric forces on the bearing.
Eccentric mounting of the wheel produced the desired shaking effect in the machine.

Ejemplos para estudiantes

The machine has an eccentric wheel that makes the table move up and down.
Because of eccentric loading, the metal bar bends to one side.
An eccentric shaft is not in the center of the hole.
The designer used an eccentric cam to create a shaking movement.

Sustantivo technical C2 entity

5

off-center mechanical device

a round metal part that turns on a rod but is fixed in an off-center way, so it changes turning movement into a pushing or shaking movement

Patrón de uso: an eccentric; the eccentric on [a machine]

Sinónimos

cam (A broader mechanical term; many cams are eccentric, but not all cams have the same design as a classic eccentric.)

Antónimos

concentric bearing (A part whose center matches the shaft center; serves as a contrasting, centered design rather than an off-center eccentric.)

Colocaciones

rotating eccentric |pump eccentric |eccentric on the shaft |eccentric drive |eccentric mechanism

Temas

engineering |technology |machines |work

Ejemplos

The pump is driven by an eccentric mounted on the main shaft.
As the eccentric turns, it pushes the rod up and down to operate the valve.
Wear on the eccentric can cause irregular motion and noise in the machine.
The mechanic replaced the worn eccentric to restore smooth operation.
This design uses a simple eccentric instead of a more complex cam system.

Ejemplos para estudiantes

The engine uses an eccentric to move the pump up and down.
When the eccentric turns, it makes the bar move back and forth.
The mechanic said the eccentric was old and had to be changed.
In this picture you can see the eccentric on the shaft.

adjective technical C2 property

6

muscle lengthening while contracting

describing a movement where a muscle is working but getting longer at the same time, usually to slow or control a movement

Patrón de uso: eccentric [contraction/movement/phase/exercise]

Error frecuente:

Learners may assume 'eccentric exercise' means 'unusual exercise'. In fitness and physiology, it has a specific technical meaning about how the muscle changes length while working.

Sinónimos

lengthening contraction (Plain descriptive term used in teaching; explains what happens in an eccentric contraction without using the technical label.)

Antónimos

concentric (In exercise science, a concentric contraction is when the muscle shortens while producing force, the opposite of an eccentric contraction.) | isometric (Describes a contraction where the muscle length does not change, contrasting with the lengthening in eccentric contractions.)

Colocaciones

eccentric contraction |eccentric phase |eccentric movement |eccentric exercise |eccentric loading

Temas

health |sports |science |body

Ejemplos

Lowering the weight slowly in a bicep curl is the eccentric phase of the exercise.
Eccentric contractions place high stress on the muscle and can lead to soreness.
The therapist focused on eccentric strengthening to help stabilize the patient's knee.
Running downhill involves strong eccentric work by the quadriceps.
Coaches often design eccentric training to improve control and power.

Ejemplos para estudiantes

When you go down in a squat, your leg muscles do an eccentric contraction.
The trainer told us that the slow, down part of the lift is the eccentric phase.
Eccentric exercise can make your muscles very sore the next day.
In an eccentric movement, the muscle works while it gets longer.

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unusual or odd in behavior

person with very unusual habits

not having the same center

off-center in mechanical design

off-center mechanical device

muscle lengthening while contracting

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