eccentric
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
Deviating from the norm.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihksehntrikSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪkˈsɛntɹɪk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
of a person
Deviating from the norm; behaving unexpectedly or differently; unconventional and slightly strange.
Not having a common center; not concentric
Not at or in the centre; away from the centre.
Having different goals or motives.
Not perfectly circular; elliptical.
noun
One who does not behave like others.
slang
A kook; a person of bizarre habits or beliefs.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (of a person) Deviating from the norm; behaving unexpectedly or differently; unconventional and slightly strange.
Used this way, eccentric is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use eccentric
- “As of 2008, Margaret had the most eccentric orbit of any moon in the solar system, though Nereid's mean eccentricity is greater.”adjective
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A person with an unusual or odd personality.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: deviating from the norm
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.