Standard Lemma guide

peculiar

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /pɪˈkjuː.li.ə/
  • UK: /pəˈkjuː.li.ə/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /pɪˈkjul.jɚ/
  • US: /pəˈkjul.jɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /pɪˈkjʉː.li.ə/
  • CMU ARPABET: P AH0 K Y UW1 L Y ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: P IH0 K Y UW1 L Y ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Out of the ordinary; odd; strange; unusual.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The sky had a peculiar appearance before the storm.
  • It would be rather peculiar to see a kangaroo hopping down a city street.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: odd, strange, uncommon, unusual

Antonyms: common, mediocre, ordinary, usual

2

adj

Meaning 2

Common or usual for a certain place or circumstance; specific or particular.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Kangaroos are peculiar to Australia.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: specific

Antonyms: common, general, universal

3

adj

Meaning 3

One's own; belonging solely or especially to an individual; not shared or possessed by others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Particular; individual; special; appropriate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

That which is peculiar; a sole or exclusive property; a prerogative; a characteristic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • before 1716, Robert South, Twelve Sermons If anything can legalize revenge, it should be injury from an extremely obliged person; but revenge is so absolutely the peculiar of heaven.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

an ecclesiastical district, parish, chapel or church outside the jurisdiction of the bishop of the diocese in which it is situated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

Qualifier: canon law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

markedly different from the usual-Virginia Woolf

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a peculiar hobby of stuffing and mounting bats
  • a man...feels it a peculiar insult to be taunted with cowardice by a woman

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a curious hybrid accent
  • her speech has a funny twang
  • they have some funny ideas about war
  • had an odd name
  • the peculiar aromatic odor of cloves
  • something definitely queer about this town
  • what a rum fellow
  • singular behavior

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: curious, funny, odd, queer, rum, rummy, singular

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin pecūliāris (“one's own”), from pecūlium (“private property”), from pecus (“cattle”).

Across languages

Translations

103 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: արտասովոր (artasovor) — out of the ordinary
  • Belarusian: асаблі́вы (asablívy) — out of the ordinary
  • Bulgarian: необикновен (neobiknoven) — out of the ordinary
  • Bulgarian: особен (osoben) — out of the ordinary
  • Catalan: peculiar — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: zvláštní — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: neobvyklý — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: podivný — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: divný — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: výstřední — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: extravagantní — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: ulítlý — out of the ordinary
  • Czech: svébytný — out of the ordinary
  • Dutch: ongewoon — out of the ordinary
  • Dutch: ongebruikelijk — out of the ordinary
  • Dutch: merkwaardig — out of the ordinary
  • Esperanto: stranga — out of the ordinary
  • Esperanto: eksterordinara — out of the ordinary
  • Estonian: tavatu — out of the ordinary
  • Estonian: kummaline — out of the ordinary
  • Finnish: outo — out of the ordinary
  • Finnish: kummallinen — out of the ordinary
  • Finnish: erikoinen — out of the ordinary
  • Finnish: poikkeuksellinen — out of the ordinary
  • Finnish: merkillinen — out of the ordinary
  • French: particulier — out of the ordinary
  • French: extraordinaire — out of the ordinary
  • French: bizarre — out of the ordinary
  • French: curieux — out of the ordinary
  • Galician: estraño — out of the ordinary
  • Galician: peculiar — out of the ordinary
  • German: merkwürdig — out of the ordinary
  • German: seltsam — out of the ordinary
  • German: eigen — out of the ordinary
  • Hindi: अजीब (ajīb) — out of the ordinary
  • Hindi: अजीबो-गरीब (ajībo-garīb) — out of the ordinary
  • Hungarian: sajátos — out of the ordinary
  • Hungarian: sajátságos — out of the ordinary
  • Indonesian: garib — out of the ordinary
  • Irish: saoithiúil — out of the ordinary
  • Italian: strano — out of the ordinary
  • Italian: peculiare — out of the ordinary
  • Italian: particolare — out of the ordinary
  • Japanese: 奇異な (kii na) — out of the ordinary
  • Japanese: 風変わりな (fūgawari na) — out of the ordinary
  • Kazakh: біртүрлі (bırtürlı) — out of the ordinary
  • Korean: 기묘한 (gimyohan) — out of the ordinary
  • Latvian: dīvains — out of the ordinary
  • Latvian: savāds — out of the ordinary
  • Lombard: strani — out of the ordinary
  • Lombard: particolar — out of the ordinary
  • Macedonian: необичен (neobičen) — out of the ordinary
  • Macedonian: чуден (čuden) — out of the ordinary
  • Māori: whanokē — out of the ordinary
  • Māori: korokē — out of the ordinary
  • Norwegian Bokmål: merkverdig — out of the ordinary
  • Norwegian Bokmål: selsom — out of the ordinary
  • Norwegian Bokmål: spesiell — out of the ordinary
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uvanlig — out of the ordinary
  • Occitan: estranh — out of the ordinary
  • Plautdietsch: schnoopich — out of the ordinary
  • Plautdietsch: sondaboa — out of the ordinary
  • Plautdietsch: besonda — out of the ordinary
  • Polish: osobliwy — out of the ordinary
  • Polish: specyficzny — out of the ordinary
  • Portuguese: peculiar — out of the ordinary
  • Portuguese: estranho — out of the ordinary
  • Portuguese: esquisito — out of the ordinary
  • Russian: необы́чный (neobýčnyj) — out of the ordinary
  • Russian: осо́бенный (osóbennyj) — out of the ordinary
  • Russian: стра́нный (stránnyj) — out of the ordinary
  • Russian: своеобра́зный (svojeobráznyj) — out of the ordinary
  • Spanish: peculiar — out of the ordinary
  • Spanish: raro — out of the ordinary
  • Swedish: säregen — out of the ordinary
  • Swedish: utmärkande — out of the ordinary
  • Turkish: olağandışı — out of the ordinary
  • Turkish: tuhaf — out of the ordinary
  • Unami: wëlelëmi — out of the ordinary
  • Bashkir: хас (xas) — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Catalan: peculiar — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Czech: specifický — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Czech: typický — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Czech: charakteristický — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Czech: příznačný — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Dutch: karakteristiek — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Estonian: iseäralik — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Estonian: omapärane — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • French: particulier — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • German: charakteristisch — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Italian: peculiare — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Japanese: 特有な (tokuyū na) — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Lithuanian: saviškas — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Macedonian: својствен (svojstven) — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Macedonian: карактеристичен (karakterističen) — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: spesifikk — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: karakteristisk — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Norwegian Bokmål: typisk — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Portuguese: peculiar — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Portuguese: particular — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Russian: сво́йственный (svójstvennyj) — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Spanish: peculiar — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
  • Spanish: específico — common or usual for a particular place or circumstance
Real reading context

peculiar in complete knowledge articles

CEMP star Science & nature · Accessible · 1 uses