idiosyncrasy
/ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/
idiosyncrasy means A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person or a group. It carries an Arena rating of 1650, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, idiosyncrasy ranks #501 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,993 of 17,114 for Most Satisfying to Say, #4,279 of 17,125 for Most Incisive Words, #6,542 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words.
idiosyncrasy is pronounced /ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/.
Why “idiosyncrasy” is a great word
A distinctive and often peculiar behavioral or mental characteristic of an individual or group. From Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία (idiosunkrasía, "one's own temperament"), from ἴδιος (ídios, "one's own") + σύν (sún, "together") + κρᾶσις (krâsis, "mixture, temperament"), the word first appeared in English in 1604. Unlike "eccentricity," which broadcasts its oddness, or "habit," which settles into unconscious repetition, idiosyncrasy is the constitutional fact of being unmistakably oneself. It is the precise cadence of a laugh, the private aversion to the texture of velvet, the ritual of arranging books by texture instead of title—the subtle, ineradicable patterns that prove a soul is not mass-produced.
Etymology
First attested in 1604, in modern sense since 1665, from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία (idiosunkrasía, “one’s own temperament”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one’s own”) + σύν (sún, “together”) + κρᾶσις (krâsis, “temperament”). By surface analysis, idio- + syn- + -crasy.
noun
- A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person or a group.
- A peculiar individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance or factor; a risk factor.
- A peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify.e.g.“He mastered the idiosyncrasies of English spelling and speech.”
Words closest in meaning
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