peculiar meaning and definition

PECULIAR adjective

Definition of peculiar (adjective)

1. beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
   • "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"
   • synonyms: curious, funny, odd, queer, rum, rummy, singular
2. unique or specific to a person or thing or category
   • "the particular demands of the job"; "has a particular preference for Chinese art"; "a peculiar bond of sympathy between them"; "an expression peculiar to Canadians"; "rights peculiar to the rich"; "the special features of a computer"; "my own special chair"
   • synonyms: particular, special
3. markedly different from the usual
   • "a peculiar hobby of stuffing and mounting bats"; "a man...feels it a peculiar insult to be taunted with cowardice by a woman"-Virginia Woolf
4. characteristic of one only; distinctive or special
   • "the peculiar character of the Government of the U.S."- R.B.Taney