idiosyncrasy
A strange habit or way of behaving that is special to one person.
idiosyncrasy in a sentence
- Wearing odd socks every day is Grandad's favourite idiosyncrasy.
- The professor had one idiosyncrasy: he only ever wrote in green ink.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to idiosyncrasy?
- Aconformity
- Bnormality
- Cquirk
- Dordinariness
Show the answer
C: quirk. The other three mean the opposite of idiosyncrasy.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to idiosyncrasy?
- Apeculiarity
- Boddity
- Cnormality
- Dquirk
Show the answer
C: normality. The other three mean nearly the same as idiosyncrasy.
Words that mean something similar
quirk, peculiarity, oddity
Words that mean the opposite
normality, conformity, ordinariness
More words about character & personality
- idol: Someone who is greatly admired or loved, often a famous person.
- imperious: Bossy and proud, expecting everyone to obey you.
- impulsive: Doing things suddenly without thinking first.
- industrious: Working hard and getting lots done.
- inept: Very clumsy or bad at doing something.
- insipid: Dull and weak, without any interesting flavour or character.
- intrepid: Brave and not afraid of danger.
- invincible: So strong that it cannot be beaten.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test