Peculiar
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 That which is peculiar; a sole or exclusive property; a prerogative; a characteristic.
"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."
- 2 an ecclesiastical district, parish, chapel or church outside the jurisdiction of the bishop of the diocese in which it is situated. UK
- 1 Out of the ordinary; odd; strange; unusual.
"The sky had a peculiar appearance before the storm."
- 2 Common or usual for a certain place or circumstance; specific or particular.
"Kangaroos are peculiar to Australia."
- 3 One's own; belonging solely or especially to an individual; not shared or possessed by others. dated
"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
- 4 Particular; individual; special; appropriate. dated
"while each peculiar power forgoes his wonted seat"
- 1 characteristic of one only; distinctive or special wordnet
- 2 markedly different from the usual; special wordnet
- 3 beyond or deviating from the usual or expected wordnet
- 4 unique or specific to a person or thing or category wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"Every nation has its peculiar character."
Etymology
From Latin pecūliāris (“one's own”), from pecūlium (“private property”), from pecus (“cattle”).
Related phrases
More for "peculiar"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.