oddball 1 of 2

noun

ˈäd-ˌbȯl How to pronounce oddball (audio)
Definition of oddballnext
as in eccentric
a person of odd or whimsical habits she's known as the office oddball

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

oddball

2 of 2

adjective

as in bizarre

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of oddball
Noun
Black Rock Coalition bands like funk-metal group 24-7 Spyz and shoegaze oddballs the Veldt—particularly when the Veldt’s murkiness resolves into a major-key chorus. — Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026 His trilogy is, likewise, a straphangers’ gallery of metropolitan oddballs, from Zippo, a pyromaniac turned blaxploitation filmmaker, to Uncle Rich, a master criminal who stages a daring raid on the Waldorf-Astoria from a disused train tunnel with the help of a homeless army. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Adjective
Running through Saturday, the 4th of July Tuna High School Class reunion takes over the third-tiniest town in Texas, bringing oddball humor and small-town satire into the spotlight. — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026 Within the understudied collection, Cruz found another oddball amphibian known as the Mexican burrowing toad, the only still living species from the family Rhinophrynidae. — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oddball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oddball
  1. eccentric
  2. bizarre
  3. character
  4. unusual
  5. original
  6. kooky
Noun
  • Make sure to practice a full range of motion with these and emphasize the eccentric (the way down) part of the movement for maximal time under tension and muscle-building stimulus.
    — Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 19 Aug. 2026
  • No documentarian has a better eye for intriguing oddballs than Errol Morris, who built his feature film career on drawing them out in conversation, from pet-cemetery owners in Gates of Heaven to small-town eccentrics in Vernon, Florida.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of eccentric
Adjective
  • The idea that these two would have a five-minute-or-less breakup conversation, then plop down on the couch and happily embark on an acid trip together, strains credulity a little, even for this bizarre, codependent friend group.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Twenty-eight million views on YouTube certified the bizarre piece as a fan favorite.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of bizarre
Noun
  • Behold the plight of the Ryan Murphy character, cursed to behave nonsensically and flit wildly from plotline to plotline based on the writer’s whims.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • At the center, a Geometric CNC Fuller visually reduces the mass of the blade while reinforcing Razorbill's distinctive multi-faceted character.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of character
Adjective
  • While his batting order remains unchanged, the team has made an unusual move, relocating Guerrero's locker to a new spot.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Land exchanges are common elsewhere in the federal government, but exchanging National Park Service land for private development access is unusual, NOTUS reported, citing a former park service official.
    — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusual
Noun
  • Joey King plays Sally’s other daughter, Kylie, while Bullock and Nicole Kidman return as the spell-casting sisters from the 1998 original.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Manifest creator Jeff Rake is teaming with Margaret Easley and Laura Putney, writers and co-executive producers on the original, for Arrivals.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of original
Adjective
  • Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest are back, too, as their kooky aunts, while Kidman’s character is now the kooky aunt to Bullock’s on-screen daughters, Joey King and Maisie Williams.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • For the kooky, mischievous and not-often-sober Shifty Gruff, Sheen was always the number one choice.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of kooky

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Cite this Entry

“Oddball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oddball. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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