ec·cen·tric
ik-ˈsen-trik 
ek-
1
2
a
: deviating from a circular path
b
: located elsewhere than at the geometric center
also
: having the axis or support so located
an eccentric wheel
1
: a person who behaves in odd or unusual ways : an eccentric person
2
: a mechanical device consisting of an eccentric (see eccentric entry 1 sense 2b) disk communicating its motion to a rod so as to produce reciprocating motion
Did you know?
Eccentric was originally a technical term at home in the fields of geometry and astronomy. It comes from a Latin word meaning “not having the earth at its center,” and ultimately has its root in a Greek word with various meanings including “stationary point of a pair of compasses” and “midpoint of a circle or sphere.” But its figurative use is long-established too: as far back as the 17th century the word was used to describe people and things that deviate from what is conventional, usual, or accepted.
Synonyms
Adjective
- bizarre
- bizarro
- cranky
- crazy
- curious
- erratic
- far-out
- funky
- funny
- kinky
- kooky
- kookie
- odd
- off-kilter
- off-the-wall
- offbeat
- out-of-the-way
- outlandish
- outré
- peculiar
- quaint
- queer
- queerish
- quirky
- remarkable
- rum [chiefly British]
- screwy
- spaced-out
- strange
- wacky
- whacky
- way-out
- weird
- weirdo
- wild
Noun
Examples of eccentric in a Sentence
Adjective
It was Charles Darwin's eccentric mathematician cousin Francis Galton who in 1874 ignited the nature-nurture controversy. …
—
Matt Ridley, Time, 2 June 2003
Eccentric drifters that normally roam the farthest reaches of the solar system, these daredevils fly so close to the Sun that they pass through its scorching corona.
—Maggie McKee, Astronomy, December 2002
In the spit-and-polish Navy, he and his equally unkempt colleagues were regarded as eccentric.
—David M. Kennedy, Atlantic, March 1999
He was a kind but eccentric man.
She's become more eccentric over the years.
Noun
It wasn't until she [Mother Teresa] had set up a leprosarium outside Calcutta on land provided by the government that I began to see her as an idealist rather than an eccentric.
—Bharati Mukherjee, Time, 14 June 1999
To his own townspeople Thoreau was a radical and an eccentric, a man without a vocation, supporting himself doing odd jobs, devoting himself to what seemed to them inconsequential rambles, and living like a hermit on the shores of Walden Pond.
—Maxine Kumin, In Deep, 1987
But Mozart was also an eccentric, brought up not as a creature of society but as a prodigious child speaking a language of sound. Mozart couldn't "handle people," as one former friend put it.
—Edward Rothstein, New York Times Book Review, 31 Oct. 1982
an eccentric who designed his house to look like a Scottish castle
Matt Ridley, Time, 2 June 2003
Eccentric drifters that normally roam the farthest reaches of the solar system, these daredevils fly so close to the Sun that they pass through its scorching corona.
—Maggie McKee, Astronomy, December 2002
In the spit-and-polish Navy, he and his equally unkempt colleagues were regarded as eccentric.
—David M. Kennedy, Atlantic, March 1999
He was a kind but eccentric man.
She's become more eccentric over the years.
Noun
It wasn't until she [Mother Teresa] had set up a leprosarium outside Calcutta on land provided by the government that I began to see her as an idealist rather than an eccentric.
—Bharati Mukherjee, Time, 14 June 1999
To his own townspeople Thoreau was a radical and an eccentric, a man without a vocation, supporting himself doing odd jobs, devoting himself to what seemed to them inconsequential rambles, and living like a hermit on the shores of Walden Pond.
—Maxine Kumin, In Deep, 1987
But Mozart was also an eccentric, brought up not as a creature of society but as a prodigious child speaking a language of sound. Mozart couldn't "handle people," as one former friend put it.
—Edward Rothstein, New York Times Book Review, 31 Oct. 1982
an eccentric who designed his house to look like a Scottish castle
Recent Examples on the Web
The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 18 Nov. 2024
Childishly lovable, Baumgartner’s Kevin had eccentric issues and a lack of communication skills.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Leslie Cochran and 'Crazy Carl' have not been forgotten
Two of Austin's most beloved eccentrics from the recent past received votes.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for eccentric 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
But that is precisely the situation President-elect Donald Trump finds himself in with his choice of the eccentric, unqualified former Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida as the attorney general of the United States of America.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 18 Nov. 2024
Childishly lovable, Baumgartner’s Kevin had eccentric issues and a lack of communication skills.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
That someone was Gary Paxton, one of the true eccentrics in the early fly-by-night Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll industry.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Leslie Cochran and 'Crazy Carl' have not been forgotten
Two of Austin's most beloved eccentrics from the recent past received votes.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for eccentric
Dictionary Entries Near eccentric
Cite this Entry
“Eccentric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eccentric. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eccentric
1 of 2 adjective
ec·cen·tric
ik-ˈsen-trik
ek-
1
a
: acting or thinking in an unusual way
b
: not of the usual or normal kind
2
: not following a truly circular path
an eccentric orbit
eccentric
2 of 2 noun
: a strange or eccentric person
Medical Definition
eccentric
1 of 2 adjective
ec·cen·tric
ik-ˈsen-trik, ek-
: deviating from an established pattern or from accepted usage or conduct
eccentric
2 of 2 noun
: an eccentric individual
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