Agency Dictionary
eccentric
adjectivePronunciation: /ɪkˈsɛntrɪk/
In Portuguese: excêntrico
Psychology & MindWhat does “eccentric” mean?
Deviating from conventional, customary, or established norms, particularly in personality, style, or flavor.
Etymology
From Middle French excentrique, from Medieval Latin eccentricus, from Greek ekkentros, "out of the centre", formed from ek ("out of") and kentron ("centre", at first the sharp point of a compass). It began as a term of astronomy and geometry, for an orbit or circle that does not have the expected centre. The sense applied to people, odd and unconventional in behaviour, grew out of that image in the 17th century.
Usage note
Spelled with double c. The word is milder than strange or weird and often carries some affection, as for a harmless oddity.
Synonyms
- unconventional
- odd
- quirky
- peculiar
- idiosyncratic
- offbeat
Word family
- eccentricity
- eccentrically
- centre
- concentric
Concepts
- Aesthetic PerceptionAesthetic perception is the human faculty of apprehending, feeling, and evaluating beauty, balance, and expressive harmony within objects, art, and environments. It…
- Specialty CommodityA specialty commodity is a high-grade variation of a standard primary good distinguished by unique geographical provenance, superior processing methods, or eccentric…
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
- vocationnoun
- A strong innate inclination or sense of purpose toward a particular career, craft, or calling.
- Synchronicitynoun
- The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear meaningfully related yet lack a direct causal connection.
- Resiliencenoun
- The capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, tough conditions, or shock.
- Stigmanoun
- A mark of social disgrace, shame, or prejudice associated with a particular circumstance, trait, or behavior.
- clevernessnoun
- The mental quality of being quick-witted, agile, and ingenious in solving specific situational problems.
- collective consciousnessnoun
- The set of beliefs, ideas and feelings shared by the members of a society, which exists beyond any single person. By extension, what a community knows and repeats in common.
- Abyssnoun
- A deep or seemingly bottomless chasm, either in physical geography or metaphorical psychological depth. It evokes feelings of unfathomable emptiness or existential peril.
- Adversitynoun
- A state of severe hardship, difficulty, or misfortune that tests resilience and moral endurance.
- Affectnoun
- An expressed or experienced emotion, feeling, or visceral response to a stimulus in psychology and philosophy.
- Anesthetizeverb
- To administer an anesthetic to eliminate physical feeling, or figuratively to numb emotional or critical awareness.
- anesthetizedadjective
- Deprived of physical sensation or feeling, often used figuratively to describe dullness or emotional apathy.
- Anesthetizingadjective
- Producing numbness, insensibility, or temporary relief from pain and critical awareness. In media studies, it describes content that pacifies audiences into mindless consumption.
Also from these editions: terms
- aestheticsnoun
- A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.
- baronnoun
- A member of the aristocracy, or an influential magnate exercising commanding power in a specific industry.
- caffeinenoun
- A naturally occurring central nervous system stimulant found in coffee beans, tea leaves, and cacao pods.
- cinnamonnoun
- An aromatic spice obtained from the stripped inner bark of several tree species of the genus Cinnamomum.
- commoditynoun
- A basic primary good, agricultural staple, or raw material that is interchangeable with other goods of the same type.
- espressonoun
- A concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing pressurized hot water through finely ground coffee beans.
- narrativenoun
- A spoken or written account of connected events, forming a coherent story or conceptual perspective.
- noveltynoun
- The quality of being new, original, or unusual, or a unique item that catches public fascination.
- presciencenoun
- The capacity to foresee or anticipate events before they take place, or human foreknowledge.
- slogannoun
- A memorable, catchy phrase used in marketing, politics, or advocacy to encapsulate a core message.
- spicenoun
- An aromatic or pungent vegetable substance used to flavor, color, or preserve food and beverages.
Also from these editions: concepts
- Lateral ThinkingLateral thinking is a deliberate creative problem-solving method that generates novel ideas by looking at scenarios from unorthodox angles and escaping traditional linear…
- Vertical ThinkingVertical thinking is a sequential, analytical cognitive approach that moves step-by-step toward a single logically validated solution based on established data and…
- DuneDune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. In Issue.5, the edition describes it as a Star Wars for adults and uses its fictional spice economy to…
- Frank HerbertFrank Herbert was an American science fiction writer, author of the novel Dune (1965). Issue.5 names him three times in its passage about Dune: in the heading, in the…
- SunglassesSunglasses is a song by Sagan and Sam Russell listed in the Chords music recommendation section of Issue.5. The edition presents the song with its title and artist names…
- AI-Native EconomyAn AI-native economy is an emerging macroeconomic paradigm where automated machine intelligence, generative models, and algorithmic agents form the core operational…
- Brand NarrativeA brand narrative is the overarching storytelling architecture through which an organization communicates its core identity, foundational values, and emotional purpose to…
- CommodificationCommodification is the economic process by which distinctive goods, services, or unique ideas become standardized and widely traded commodities in mass markets. Through…
- Experiential DifferentiationExperiential differentiation is a competitive business strategy that distinguishes structurally identical products or services through superior user experience, sensory…
- Idea FactoryAn idea factory is a creative and collaborative environment where creative professionals systematically generate, prototype, and refine innovative concepts into…
- Scarcity PrincipleThe scarcity principle is an economic tenet asserting that goods and resources possessing limited supply relative to widespread desire hold higher trade value and command…