ENGLISH
REFERENCE

oddball

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɑdˌbɔɫ// UK //ˈɒdbɔːl// odd·ball

n. a person who is very different from others and often acts in a strange or unusual way. You use this to describe someone who is unique but might be a bit hard to understand.

n. a person who is eccentric or unconventional in behaviour or appearance. Often carries a slightly informal or lighthearted tone when describing someone's idiosyncrasies.


SIMPLE

He is a bit of an oddball, but he is very kind.

CONTEXTUAL

The small town was full of oddballs who preferred living on the edge of the woods rather than in the main square.

COMPLEX

While his colleagues followed the standard protocol, he was a certified oddball who preferred to solve problems by playing chess with the janitor during lunch breaks.

Synonyms
Origin

Compound of odd + ball. First used in late 1930s, describing an extra ball played as a bonus in pin-ball type games. Well-attested since the 1940s, with the adjective appearing earlier than the noun.

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