Peculiar
[pɪ'kjuːlɪə] or [pɪ'kjulɪɚ]
Definition
(adj.) 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 .
(adj.) characteristic of one only; distinctive or special; 'the peculiar character of the Government of the U.S.'- R.B.Taney .
Typed by Debora--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) One's own; belonging solely or especially to an individual; not possessed by others; of private, personal, or characteristic possession and use; not owned in common or in participation.
(a.) Particular; individual; special; appropriate.
(a.) Unusual; singular; rare; strange; as, the sky had a peculiarappearance.
(n.) That which is peculiar; a sole or exclusive property; a prerogative; a characteristic.
(n.) A particular parish or church which is exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary.
Checked by Alyson
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. [1]. That specially pertains, that belongs exclusively.[2]. Singular, particular, characteristic, special, exceptional, rare, not common, not general.
Typed by Konrad
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Private, personal, characteristic, exceptional, exclusive, special, specific,particular, unusual, singular, uncommon, strange
ANT:Public, common, general, universal, unspecial, ordinary
Inputed by Ethel
Definition
adj. one's own: belonging to no other: appropriate: particular: odd uncommon strange.—n. (obs.) private property: a parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary or bishop in whose diocese it is placed.—v.t. Pecul′iarise to set apart.—n. Peculiar′ity quality of being peculiar or singular: that which is found in one and in no other: that which marks a person off from others: individuality.—adv. Pecul′iarly.—n. Pecū′lium private property esp. that given by a father to a son &c.—Peculiar people the people of Israel: a sect of faith-healers founded in London in 1838 who reject medical aid in cases of disease and rely on anointing with oil by the elders and on prayer with patient nursing.
Checked by Charlie
Examples
- Or her taste for peculiar people, put in Mrs. Archer in a dry tone, while her eyes dwelt innocently on her son's. Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence.
- In what way is he peculiar? Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- There are also characters peculiar to different nations and particular persons, as well as common to mankind. David Hume. A Treatise of Human Nature.
- Let no one suppose that the unwillingness to cultivate what Mr. Wells calls the mental hinterland is a vice peculiar to the business man. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- His hat presents at the rims a peculiar appearance of a glistening nature, as if it had been a favourite snail-promenade. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- Mr. Weller's knowledge of London was extensive and peculiar. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- On scrutiny they proved to be French compositions, written in a hand peculiar but compact, and exquisitely clean and clear. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- There is a great deal of literal truth in that remark, for it has been the peculiar work of Bryan to express in politics some of that emotion which has made America the home of new religions. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- Pecuniary remuneration is offered to me--with the want of feeling peculiar to the rich. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- To one who had named him slave, and, on any point, banned him from respect, he must now have peculiar feelings. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- He had a peculiar eye, and I made up my mind that there was a strain of insanity somewhere. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- It is a peculiar face, said Dorothea, looking closely. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- These jack-rabbits are a very peculiar species. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- You must remember that we are dealing with a burglar who is a very peculiar fellow, and who appears to work on lines of his own. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- He believed without effort in the peculiar work of grace within him, and in the signs that God intended him for special instrumentality. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
Typed by Felix