oddball

noun

odd·​ball ˈäd-ˌbȯl How to pronounce oddball (audio)
Synonyms of oddballnext
: one that is eccentric
oddball adjective

Examples of oddball in a Sentence

He used to be a real oddball back in high school. she's known as the office oddball
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Survivor planet is a real oddball The gas giant WD 1856 b was first discovered in 2020 by NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 July 2026 Many audiences may recognize him best as the shirtless, nunchuck-wielding oddball in the coming-of-age classic Ghost World (2001). Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for oddball

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oddball was in 1948

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Cite this Entry

“Oddball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oddball. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

oddball

noun
odd·​ball -ˌbȯl How to pronounce oddball (audio)
: a person who behaves strangely

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