peculiarpe‧cu‧li‧ar /pɪˈkjuːliə $ -ər/ ●●○ adjective 
There was a peculiar smell in the kitchen. Something peculiar is going on. It seems very peculiar that no one noticed Kay had gone.► see thesaurus at strange2be peculiar to somebody/something if something is peculiar to a particular person, place, or situation, it is a feature that only belongs to that person or only exists in that place or situation: The problem of racism is not peculiar to this country.3behaving in a strange and slightly crazy way: He’s been a little peculiar lately. She’s a very peculiar child.4feel peculiar/come over all peculiar British English informal to feel slightly ill
WORD ORIGINpeculiar
Origin:
1400-1500 Latin peculiaris ‘of private property, special’, from peculium ‘private property’, from pecu ‘cattle’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Glenn started acting peculiar after his wife's funeral.
- I've been having very peculiar dreams the past few weeks.
- I heard a peculiar warbling from the living room.
- Martha has been a little peculiar lately.
- She's actually very friendly in her own peculiar way.
- This cheese has a peculiar smell.
- This meat tastes peculiar.
- All the other peculiar effects of camp environment were bad.
- And why would Psyche pay any attention to this peculiar idea?
- During the brief voyage Tom lived in a peculiar atmosphere of doom and of heroic, unselfish courage.
- It was the enlightened afrancesados who were to confuse political issues by their peculiar relation to liberalism.
- Some questions seem obvious and others peculiar.
- The origins of Gironella's peculiar assemblages lie in his childhood.
- This is our peculiar form of assimilation.
THESAURUS
unusual or surprising, especially in a way that is difficult to understand, or that is a little frightening: · What’s that strange noise downstairs?· That’s strange – I’m sure I left my keys on the table.· a strange old man
especially spoken a little strange and making you feel slightly surprised or worried: · There’s a funny smell in the kitchen.· It’s odd that you can’t remember him at all.
especially written strange, especially in an interesting way. Curious is a little more formal than strange: · a curious fact· There’s something rather curious about small-town America.· She remembered curious little details.
strange – used about something that people know little about and are unable to explain or understand: · He had disappeared in mysterious circumstances.· There were reports of mysterious lights in the sky.
strange in a way that seems slightly crazy and amusing – used about people and their behaviour: · He lived completely alone and had some slightly eccentric habits.· an eccentric old lady
slightly strange, and different from what you would normally expect – used especially when this is either amusing or worrying: · She sometimes wears rather peculiar clothes.· He had a peculiar expression on his face.
Longman Language Activatorstrange situations, experiences, smells, tastes etc very different from what you expect or from what usually happens, in a way that makes you feel a little frightened or surprised: · A strange noise woke her up.· I had a strange feeling that I'd been there before.· Amanda's eyes glowed in a strange way, like a cat's.· He seemed to know lots of things about me, but the strange thing is I didn't even tell him my name.it is strange that: · It's strange that you've never met him - he lives in your street.
also odd especially British something funny or odd is a little strange and it makes you feel slightly worried or surprised because you cannot explain it or you do not know what it is: · There's a funny smell coming from the fridge.· Thumps and laughter and odd noises were coming out of the living room.it is funny/odd that: · It seems odd that no one noticed him coming in.· It's funny that he managed to hit the ball because he never hits it in practice.that's funny/that's odd spoken: · "Your keys aren't here." "That's funny - I'm sure I left them on the table."
strange and slightly unpleasant: · This meat tastes peculiar.· I've been having very peculiar dreams the past few weeks.· I heard a peculiar warbling from the living room.
use this about something that people know very little about and that is difficult to explain or understand: · No one could offer an explanation for his mysterious disappearance.· I kept getting mysterious phone calls where the caller would hang up as soon as I answered.under mysterious circumstances: · Two weeks later, the shop burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances.
a weird experience, feeling, sight, or sound is strange and very different from what you are used to: · She only had lipstick on her bottom lip which looked pretty weird.· It's a weird feeling to go back to a place that you lived in a long time ago.
extremely strange, and very different from what is generally considered to be normal, especially in a frightening or slightly worrying way: · Woods disappeared in very bizarre circumstances, and no trace of him has ever been found.· It was bizarre - if we took longer than five minutes in the bathroom, we had to explain why to our manager.
strange and frightening: · An eerie howl filled the cave.· I had the eerie feeling that somebody was watching me.· The pumps were shut off now. It was eerie, being in the factory without their sound.
extremely strange, because nothing seems connected with real life or normal experiences, and things happen or appear together that do not belong together: · Living on the commune turned out to be a surreal experience.· The whole trial and the media circus surrounding it was surreal.
strange and surprising but interesting, so that you want to know more about it: · Life in the village was a curious combination of the old and the very new.· He had come to some curious arrangement with his landlady.
an ironic situation seems strange and amusing, because something happens that you would not expect at all: · Her car was stolen from outside the police station, which is pretty ironic.· One of the study's ironic discoveries is that TV trials educate the public about the justice system better than actual trials.it is ironic that: · It's ironic that professional athletes are often such unhealthy people.
strange people, behaviour, objects or ideas · Pearl was a strange girl who never played with the other children.· He's very strange - you never really know what he's thinking.· Marla has some strange ideas about raising children.
an eccentric person has strange and slightly crazy habits or ideas, which people think are amusing: · Our neighbour is an eccentric old lady who has about 25 cats.· Mr. Withers is a little eccentric, but he's basically harmless.
strange and slightly frightening, and making you feel uncomfortable : · I don't really want to spend the evening with Helen - she's so weird.· She's dating a really weird guy who's into witchcraft and black magic.· The museum has a collection of the weirdest sculptures I've ever seen.
extremely strange, and very different from what is generally considered to be normal, especially in a frightening or slightly worrying way: · They tell the most bizarre stories about him.· The marriage between the two stars was as bizarre as it was short-lived.· Colin later took his own life in a bizarre suicide pact with his mother.
something that is outlandish is very strange, and not at all like anything you are used to: · Parts of Lisa's story sounded outlandish, and no one would believe her.· She came to the party wearing an outlandish costume and blond wig.
especially British slightly strange and difficult to understand: · Did Anna warn you that her aunt is rather... well, rather odd?· He's a bit funny - sometimes he's very friendly, other times he just ignores you.
slightly strange, and different from what you would normally expect, especially in a way that is either amusing or a little worrying: · She's actually very friendly in her own peculiar way.· Glenn started acting peculiar after his wife's funeral.
someone who is kinky , or who does kinky things, has strange ways of getting sexual excitement: · kinky sex· I think he's a bit kinky - but I like him.
informal someone who is warped has ideas or thoughts that most people think are unpleasant and strange: · Some of my professors at college were pretty warped.· In his statement the chief of police said, "We are dealing with a warped mind, and we have to take all precautions."· Only someone with a warped sense of humor would think the accident is funny.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY It seems very peculiar that no one noticed Kay had gone. The problem of racism is not peculiar to this country.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
It seems very peculiar that no one noticed Kay had gone. The problem of racism is not peculiar to this country.· He had a lot of peculiar habits, one of them being to stare at you without blinking.
· The sweets had a rather peculiar taste.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· I've always found the settlements on the A82 between Crianlarich and Glencoe most peculiar.· Everyone thought that my crossing the Rann by camel was a most peculiar idea.· They really were a most peculiar bunch.· It transpired that Lord Uxbridge had made a most peculiar will.· About a year later a most peculiar way out of the difficulty was found by Max Planck.· But Coppock's reasoning is not the most peculiar theory around.
· It's very peculiar - he made me feel a fool.· About 1 percent of all recovered meteorites are the very peculiar carbonaceous chondrite stones.· Any past Minister of Health who wanted to be Minister of Health again would have very peculiar tastes.· But something very peculiar is going on.· Just footballers, that very peculiar animal much prone to foot in the mouth.· At latitudes greater than about thirty degrees, impact craters have a very peculiar appearance never seen on the Moon.· It's a very peculiar sensation.· This is a very peculiar but decorative plant which in submersed form differs conspicuously from the other members of the family.
NOUN· It was a peculiar form of lateral thinking, inspired by instinct.· This is our peculiar form of assimilation.· As many have pointed out, the receiver's agency is a peculiar form of agency.· But bear in mind that self-defeating organizations function according to their own peculiar form of behavioral logic.· The definition itself is arguable given the peculiar form of intelligence required for membership.
· Weaver shows, for example, that a certain peculiar kind of process is occurring when public enterprise objectives are being determined.
· But then she noticed a peculiar thing.· The storming of the supermarket before a storm is quite a peculiar thing.· It was a very peculiar thing.· The altitude does peculiar things to people.· It was, she realized, a peculiar thing to own.
· Nails felt his stomach contract in a peculiar way.· But it is notable for another reason: It has a peculiar way of determining the gender of its babies.· In some peculiar way he seemed to be getting into his stride.· The light coming up from the freeway illuminated his face in a peculiar way.· About a year later a most peculiar way out of the difficulty was found by Max Planck.· One person stops and looks at me in a peculiar way. l lose the nerve to ask.· Well, he was paying so let him get on with it in his peculiar way.· His 14 years in Congress have made him wise to its peculiar ways and means.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► feel peculiar/come over all peculiar
1strange, unfamiliar, or a little surprising: - The problem of racism is not peculiar to this country.
- A particular seasoning may be peculiar to a particular sausage.
- But whether this is peculiar to muscle, or whether other master genes will be found, remains to be discovered.
- Chap. 5 includes some detail on test methods which are peculiar to polymers and which have been specially developed for them.
- It is not typically East Anglian but for its black glazed pantiles on the roof which are peculiar to Norfolk.
- On the other hand, most of the signs are peculiar to Crete and that argues for a local origin.
- The circumstances of Herr Hamnett's disappearance are peculiar to say the least.
- The few useful studies that exist usually include factors that might be peculiar to one country, or society.
- We began to wonder about other sources of light that might be peculiar to the extreme hydrothermal vent environment.
There was a peculiar smell in the kitchen. Something peculiar is going on. It seems very peculiar that no one noticed Kay had gone.► see thesaurus at strange2be peculiar to somebody/something if something is peculiar to a particular person, place, or situation, it is a feature that only belongs to that person or only exists in that place or situation: The problem of racism is not peculiar to this country.3behaving in a strange and slightly crazy way: He’s been a little peculiar lately. She’s a very peculiar child.4feel peculiar/come over all peculiar British English informal to feel slightly ill- East Anglian
- eastbound
- East Coast
- East End
- East Ender
- EastEnders
- Easter
- Easter basket
- Easter bonnet
- Easter Bunny
- Easter egg
- Easter Island
- easterly
- Easter Monday
- eastern
- Eastern bloc
- Eastern Conference
- Easterner
- Eastern Europe
- Eastern European
- easternmost
- Eastern Orthodox Church
- Easter Rising
- Easter Seals
- Easter Sunday