oddity
Bit of strangeness
An oddity is something strange or unusual—a person, thing, or quality that deviates from the expected.
The word carries mild curiosity rather than alarm: The two-headed calf was a local oddity.
Oddity also names the quality of being odd: the oddity of the situation.
In plural, oddities often appear in collections of curiosities or freak-show contexts.
Peculiar behavioral trait
- idiosyncrasyDistinctive personal peculiarity
- peculiarityUnusual distinguishing characteristic
- whimsyPlayful, capricious quality
- kookinessPlayful, harmless oddness
zaniness · offbeatness · unconventionality · nonconformity · bohemianism · individualism · caprice · flakiness
Departure from the expected
- aberrationDeviation from the norm
- irregularityDeparture from standard
- deviationDeparture from expected path
- malformationAbnormally developed structure
deformity · mutation · defect · distortion · dysfunction · disorder · monstrosity · freakishness
Distant data point
- exceptionDeviation from standard
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
- maverickIndependent-minded rule-breaker
loner · freak · weirdo · black sheep · fish out of water · square peg · lone wolf · eccentric
Desire to learn
- curioOdd collectible item
- collectibleObject worth amassing
- relicPreserved ancient object
- artifactHuman-made historical object
antique · specimen · novelty · conversation piece · objet · trophy · keepsake · memento
Quality of being strange
- bizarrenessQuality of extreme strangeness
- eerinessUnsettling strangeness
- uncanninessQuality of being disturbingly strange
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
grotesqueness · outlandishness · mysteriousness · inexplicability · otherworldliness · unearthliness · enigma · creepiness
Difference between expected and actual
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- mismatchIncompatible combination
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
- contradictionOpposing claims, incompatible together
paradox · disconnect · dissonance · clash · anomaly · variance · divergence · contrast
quirk
Peculiar behavioral trait
- idiosyncrasyDistinctive personal peculiarity
- peculiarityUnusual distinguishing characteristic
- whimsyPlayful, capricious quality
kookiness · zaniness · offbeatness · unconventionality · nonconformity · bohemianism · individualism · caprice · flakiness · drollness
anomaly
Departure from the expected
- aberrationDeviation from the norm
- irregularityDeparture from standard
- deviationDeparture from expected path
malformation · deformity · mutation · defect · distortion · dysfunction · disorder · monstrosity · freakishness · abnormalcy
outlier
Distant data point
- exceptionDeviation from standard
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- nonconformistRejects prevailing social standards
maverick · loner · freak · weirdo · black sheep · fish out of water · square peg · lone wolf · eccentric · original
curiosity
Desire to learn
- curioOdd collectible item
- collectibleObject worth amassing
- relicPreserved ancient object
artifact · antique · specimen · novelty · conversation piece · objet · trophy · keepsake · memento · tchotchke
weirdness
Quality of being strange
- bizarrenessQuality of extreme strangeness
- eerinessUnsettling strangeness
- uncanninessQuality of being disturbingly strange
surrealism · grotesqueness · outlandishness · mysteriousness · inexplicability · otherworldliness · unearthliness · enigma · creepiness · phantasmagoria
discrepancy
Difference between expected and actual
- inconsistencyLack of steady pattern
- mismatchIncompatible combination
- disparityMeasurable difference between things
contradiction · paradox · disconnect · dissonance · clash · anomaly · variance · divergence · contrast · anachronism
- circuscircus, big top, clown, clowns, ringmaster
- Anomaliesanomaly, deviation, aberration, irregularity, peculiarity
- curioscurios, curio, curiosities, curiosity, knickknacks
- Odditiescuriosity, curio, unusual, strange, anomaly
- strangenessweird, strange, bizarre, peculiar, unusual
- weirdness synonymsweirdness, strangeness, bizarreness, peculiarity, unusualness
odditynormality
State of being typical
normalcy · ordinariness · usualness · conventionality · regularity
oddityregularity
Consistent, predictable occurrence
routine · predictability · consistency · habit · uniformity
- Space OddityGlam rock debut, 1969