Dictionary

idiosyncrasy en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (General-American)
• audio Queensland
• /ˌɪdɪəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (Australia)
• /ˌɪdioʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (General-American)
• /ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌədiəˈsəŋkɹəsi/ (New-Zealand)

Etymology

First attested in 1604, in modern sense since 1665, from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία (idiosunkrasía, “one’s own temperament”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one’s own”) + σύν (sún, “together”) + κρᾶσις (krâsis, “temperament”). By surface analysis, idio- + syn- + -crasy.

Meanings

1. A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person or a group.
   • She's flying in from Stockholm on Thursday. She apparently has certain sexual idiosyncrasies. 1980, Paul Schrader, American Gigolo, spoken by Anne (Nina van Pallandt):
   • This mode of death had been an idiosyncrasy with his family, for generations past; not often occurring, indeed, but, when it does occur, usually attacking individuals about the Judge’s time of life, and generally in the tension of some mental crisis, or, perhaps, in an access of wrath. 1851 April 9, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC:
   • If he expresses himself such as he is, an idiosyncrasy affected but not annihilated by education, he may say that his books are his own. 1898 [1884], Philip Gilbert Hamerton, “Independence”, in Human Intercourse:
   • When we situate climax during intercourse as the bullseye, we gate off the idiosyncrasy and experimentation that are the wellspring of sexual pleasure. 2023 March 21, Zoe Williams, “The orgasm gap – and how to close it: ‘Don’t equate sex and penetration’”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 31 Mar 2023:
   • The trouble with this question is that it removes the focus from the substance of whatever event or debate is being discussed, redirecting it to the speaker’s or writer’s personal perceptions or expectations about it — away from facts and toward idiosyncrasy. 2026 January 1, Carlos Lozada, “How Did We Get to Such a Bad Question?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Jan 2026:
   • Every village has its idiosyncrasy, its constitution, often its own code of morality. 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:
2. (qualifier:originally) A peculiar individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance or factor; a risk factor.
   • […]I have no antipathy, or rather Idio-ſyncraſie, in dyet, humour, ayre, any thing; […]. 1642, [Thomas Browne], “The Second Part”, in Religio Medici, London: […] Andrew Crooke, →OCLC, page 111:
   • There are, however, distinct differences between diatheses and idiosyncrasies; diatheses definitely tend to the development of disease, for example the scrofulous diathesis of our forebears favours the onset of tuberculosis; idiosyncrasies are abnormal reactions but do not necessarily dispose to disease. 1927, Humphry Davy Rolleston, Idiosyncrasies, London: Kegan Paul, pages 16–17:
3. A peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify.
   • He mastered the idiosyncrasies of English spelling and speech.

Forms

Coordinates

diathesis

Deriveds

idiosyncratic · idiosyncratically

Relateds

trait (See also) · speciality (See also) · habit (See also) · specialness (See also) · specialty (See also) · eccentricity (See also) · peculiarity (See also)

Synonyms

vagary · foible · quirk · mannerism · oddity · eccentricity · habit · idiocrasy

Translations (116)

vi cá tính (way of behaving or thinking) · de Eigensinn (way of behaving or thinking) · it fissazione (way of behaving or thinking) · ro particularitate (way of behaving or thinking) · tr ayrıklılık (way of behaving or thinking) · pt idiossincrasia (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · it intolleranza ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · nl kenmerk (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · it mania (way of behaving or thinking) · it idiosincrasia (way of behaving or thinking) · da særpræg (way of behaving or thinking) · cmn 特性 (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · uk ідіосинкразія (way of behaving or thinking) · fr idiosyncrasie (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · no særegenhet (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · de Eigenart (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · sh idiosinkrazija ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · pt idiossincrasia (way of behaving or thinking) · ru идиосинкрази́я (way of behaving or thinking) · ja 特異体質 (way of behaving or thinking) · el ιδιοσυγκρασία (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · tr tuhaflık (way of behaving or thinking) · ru идиосинкрази́я ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · pt idiossincrasia (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · bg идиосинкра́зия ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · tr mizaç (way of behaving or thinking) · de besonderes Merkmal (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · de Eigenheit (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · vi đặc tính (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · tr huy (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · el ευαισθησία ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · it idiosincrasia (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · ca idiosincràsia (way of behaving or thinking) · pt idiossincrasia ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · da særpræg (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · tr tabiat (way of behaving or thinking) · eo idiosinkrazio (way of behaving or thinking) · nl overgevoeligheid ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · nl eigenaardigheid (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · ka თავისებურება (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · bg начин на мислене (way of behaving or thinking) · da idiosynkrasi (way of behaving or thinking) · pl idiosynkrazja (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · ro idiosincrazie (way of behaving or thinking) · nl jargon (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · da idiosynkrasi ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · da egenart (way of behaving or thinking) · sv idiosynkrasi ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · ja 個性 (way of behaving or thinking) · da idiosynkrasi (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · ca idiosincràsia ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · sv egenskap (way of behaving or thinking) · nl eigenheid (way of behaving or thinking) · it insofferenza ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · fi yliherkkyys ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · it idiosincrasia ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · hu egyéni sajátosság (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · ro caracteristică (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · sv egenart (way of behaving or thinking) · bg идиосинкра́зия (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · pl idiosynkrazja (way of behaving or thinking) · fi idiosynkrasia ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · ca idiosincràsia (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · ru отличи́тельная осо́бенность (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · vi cá biệt (way of behaving or thinking) · vi cá biệt (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · pl dziwactwo (way of behaving or thinking) · yi אידיאָסינקראַסי (way of behaving or thinking) · pl osobliwość (way of behaving or thinking) · es chiripiorca (way of behaving or thinking) · ka იდიოსინკრაზია ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · tr huy (way of behaving or thinking) · nl eigenaardigheid (way of behaving or thinking) · el νοοτροπία (way of behaving or thinking) · it avversione (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · ka მახასიათებელი (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · de Eigenart (way of behaving or thinking) · bg индивидуалност (way of behaving or thinking) · it idiosincrasia (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · ru отличи́тельная черта́ (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · fr idiosyncrasie (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · nl idiosyncrasie ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · fa فردویژگی ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · da overfølsomhed ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · pl idiosynkrazja ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · ja 特性 (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · fr idiosyncrasie (way of behaving or thinking) · vi cá tính (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · de Eigenheit (way of behaving or thinking) · fi omalaatuisuus (way of behaving or thinking) · ro trăsătură (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · ru отличи́тельная черта́ (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · pdt Ieejenschoft (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · vi đặc điểm (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · es idiosincrasia (way of behaving or thinking) · tr kişisel özellik (way of behaving or thinking) · de Idiosynkrasie ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · es idiosincrasia (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · ro idiosincrasie ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · ru отличи́тельная осо́бенность (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · hu jellemző sajátosság (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · de Eigenart (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · et ülitundlikkus ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · de Eigenheit (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · bg осо́беност (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · ro particularitate (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · de Idiosynkrasie (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · grc ἰδιοσυγκρασία (way of behaving or thinking) · fi ominaispiirre (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · nl eigenaardigheid (language or behaviour particular to an individual or a group) · el ιδιοσυγκρασία (way of behaving or thinking) · bg идиосинкра́зия (way of behaving or thinking) · da særegenhed (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · da særhed (peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify) · fr idiosyncrasie ((medicine) individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance) · sv egenhet (way of behaving or thinking)