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Those whose quirk is to zig while others zag (and conversely those who zag while others zig) will appreciate the origins of today’s word. Not its etymological origins, mind you—no one knows whence quirk came—but the twists and turns of its meanings across the centuries. The oldest known use of quirk dates to the mid-1500s, and referred to a clever verbal dodge of the kind one might use to turn the tables on someone in an argument or debate. It didn’t take long for quirk’s meaning to expand to cover all kinds of twisty, turn-y things, from witty retorts and curlicue flourishes made with ink on paper to the vagaries or twists of fate. The sense of quirk meaning “a peculiarity of action or behavior” refers to a twist of sorts as well, insofar as our quirks often flip others’ expectations of us, perhaps even causing them to quirk their eyebrows now and again. In a surprising twist, quirk began to be used as a verb meaning “to curve or twist” in the late 1800s.
Synonyms
Examples of quirk in a Sentence
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
In practice, however, quirks with the model abound.
—Stefanos Chen, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The scientists determined this thanks to a quirk of neutron star binaries, which are systems where neutron stars and companion stars orbit each other.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024
Through a silly slideshow, groups of friends get to know each other’s niche interests, secret pastimes and frequently hilarious takes on their friends’ quirks and strengths.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN, 25 Mar. 2024
He’s dealt a slight disadvantage in this regard since his character is written as an over-the-top, wide-eyed optimist with colorful quirks — a Manic Pixie Dream Boy for the introverted Doom.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024
But the homeowner brushed them off as mere quirks of an old house settling in the cold.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024
Other quirks Consider some curious pay raise variations tracked nationwide by the Atlanta Fed.
—Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024
The quirks of a converted church can give repurposed buildings some unique qualities.
—Tom Roland, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2023
Working from home: The fun quirks couples learn about each other Look and sound more professional Mind your manners in online meetings by following these tips For video meetings, the eyes have it.
—Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 4 June 2020
But many other smaller outfits were unable to access the loan program, even as some larger firms took advantage of the program’s quirks to get approval for high-dollar relief.
—Tom Benning, Dallas News, 23 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quirk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Quirk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quirk. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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