Basic Details
Word: Eccentric
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Behaving in an unusual and slightly strange way, though usually harmless; as a noun, a person who behaves like this.
Synonyms: odd, peculiar, quirky, unconventional
Antonyms: ordinary, conventional, normal
Word origin: Comes from Greek ekkentros, 'out of the centre'.
How to Spell Eccentric
Syllables: ec - cen - tric
Tricky part: There are two c's at the start: the first sounds like k and the second like s. The ending is ric, with no k.
Watch out for: ecentric, eccentrick, eccintric, eksentric
Memory tip: Ec means out of, and centric means centre: an eccentric person is a little off-centre. One c from each half gives cc.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Our eccentric neighbour walks his cat on a lead every evening.
Example 2: The eccentric inventor filled his garage with clocks that ran backwards.
Example 3: Some people found her habit of wearing two different shoes eccentric, but she liked it.
Fun Fact
Astronomers use eccentricity to measure how stretched an orbit is: 0 is a perfect circle, and Earth's orbit is only about 0.017, so it is very nearly round.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters:
e_c_ntric
a) c, e
b) s, e
c) k, e
d) c, i
Show answer
a) c, e. The first blank is the second c, which sounds like s, and the vowel after it is the e of centre.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to eccentric in this sentence:
The eccentric old professor wore a woollen scarf even in the May heat of Nagpur.
a) ordinary
b) cheerful
c) peculiar
d) careless
Show answer
c) peculiar. Eccentric describes odd, unusual behaviour, so peculiar is closest; ordinary means the opposite.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. idiosincrasy 2. extrovurt 3. eccentric 4. conveniant
a) a habit or way of behaving that belongs to one person
b) an outgoing person who enjoys company
c) unusual and a little strange in behaviour
d) suitable and easy to use
Show answer
c) unusual and a little strange in behaviour. Extrovert ends in vert, idiosyncrasy has a y after the s, and convenient ends in ent: eccentric alone is right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Most people would call it eccentric to ____.
a) wear a raincoat on a sunny day for no reason
b) brush your teeth before going to bed
c) take the bus to school each morning
d) eat lunch with your family at noon
Show answer
a) wear a raincoat on a sunny day for no reason
2. The Greek root of eccentric means ____.
a) very old
b) round and smooth
c) out of the centre
d) full of energy
Show answer
c) out of the centre
