Added 9 October 2026
oddball
/ˈɑːdˌbɔl/ noun
First recorded: 1930 Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about oddball at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A person with an unusual or odd personality.
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)