quiddity

noun

ˈkwi-də-tē How to pronounce quiddity (audio)
Definition of quidditynext
1
as in trick
an odd or peculiar habit for all of her quiddities, she is a very wise and generous lady

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in essence
the quality or qualities that make a thing what it is Rembrandt's genius was his unparalleled ability to render a person's quiddity in a single portrait

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 quiddity The task was to find the spiritual quiddity of God’s gifts in nature, piece by piece, and to assemble them into a divine whole. — Zachary Fine, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024 Teffi bids us to accept the mystery of this strange business of life in all its delightful quiddity. — Sara Wheeler, WSJ, 23 Apr. 2021 None of these quiddities has much to do with efficient military training. — Steele Brand, Time, 20 Sep. 2019 Our skulls are like space helmets; we are trapped in our heads, unable to convey the quiddity of our sensations. — Jason Pontin, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quiddity
  1. trick
  2. essence
  3. trait
  4. substance
  5. characteristic
  6. nature
  7. idiosyncrasy
  8. singularity
Noun
  • Treister had a smart sense of humor, often performing magic tricks for anyone who would come over to his home, his family said.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Layered background sighs, a resonant lead vocal, autumnal acoustic guitar flickers, synths both eerie and trippy—James has all his tricks on tap.
    — Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of trick
Noun
  • To experience a thicker, chewier noodle, order the tsukemen (dipping-style ramen) with a broth, as dense as gravy, fusing the essences of pork, chicken and fish.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Ahead, scroll on to find five cozy colors that the nail pros say perfectly capture the essence of fall.
    — Jennifer Hussein, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of essence
Noun
  • This suggests an inherent bias from the LLM's Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF) training, where human input inadvertently promotes traits like curiosity.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Craig was extremely productive at Harvard and has NFL-caliber traits with his size, mobility and throw power.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of trait
Noun
  • This risk is increased markedly when buprenorphine is combined with other substances that depress the central nervous system, particularly alcohol, benzodiazepines, and certain sedating medications.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Some undergo cosmetic procedures and reportedly inject their bodies with peptides, testosterone, and other substances that enhance their physiques.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of substance
Noun
  • Historically, the Grand Sport has borrowed its design characteristics from the range-topping Z06, and that’s no different this time around.
    — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026
  • This potentially allows the same aircraft platform to undertake different types of strike missions while carrying weapons configured for different target characteristics.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of characteristic
Noun
  • All three projects will collectively contribute to better measurements of how cosmic structure is changing over time—crucial information for clarifying the nature of dark energy and dark matter in the universe’s evolution.
    — Lee Billings, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While the moves are not dramatic, the elevated nature of yields has added to the debt burden, putting interest paid as the largest federal expenditure outside Social Security and Medicare.
    — Kevin Breuninger,Jeff Cox, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of nature
Noun
  • There’s no better way to quickly learn a person’s idiosyncrasies than living with them.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • If LRMs can supercharge mathematics research the way AlphaFold did for computational biology, this line of thinking goes, why not embrace them, idiosyncrasies and all, and just verify the results?
    — John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 31 July 2026
Definition of idiosyncrasy
Noun
  • In short, Hinduism itself is steeped in the manifold nature of the divine, as well as its singularity.
    — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In February, Patrick Collison told TBPN there was a reasonable chance Q1 2026 would be remembered as the first quarter of the singularity, adding that in hindsight the claim might look completely delusional.
    — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of singularity

Browse Nearby Words

quiddities
quiddity
quidnunc
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Cite this Entry

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

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