Irregularity and Irrationality: English Vocabulary List

happening unexpectedly and without deliberate planning or foresight

"The meeting was coincidental."

"Their meeting at the airport was purely coincidental because neither knew that the other would be traveling."

slightly strange in behavior, appearance, or ideas

"My uncle is eccentric."

"The eccentric old man wore mismatched socks and a top hat every day and he talked to the pigeons in the park as if they were his friends."

occurring from time to time, in an irregular manner

"The rain is sporadic."

"The sporadic rain showers made it difficult to plan outdoor activities for the weekend."

departing from established customs, norms, or expectations

"His behavior is deviant."

"The psychologist studied deviant behavior in adolescents and he found that family relationships played a crucial role in preventing antisocial actions."

differing from what is usual, expected, or standard

"His reaction was atypical."

"The atypical behavior of the normally calm dog worried his owner and she took him to the vet to find out why he was acting so strange."

possessing a quality that is noticeable and different

"He has a distinctive voice."

"The distinctive smell of garlic and onions cooking in butter filled the kitchen and made everyone's mouth water with anticipation of the delicious meal."

recently invented or introduced, often implying novelty over practicality

"A newfangled device."

"The newfangled gadget promised to do everything but it broke after only a week of use."

strange or unexpected in appearance, style, or behavior

"The event was bizarre."

"The bizarre dream that she had about flying over the city on a giant butterfly felt so real that she woke up expecting to see wings."

never having existed or happened before

"The event is unprecedented."

"The unprecedented heat wave broke records that had stood for over a hundred years and caused widespread drought and crop failures across the entire region."

unmatched in comparison to others

"The beauty is unparalleled."

"The unparalleled success of the company's new product surprised even the most optimistic analysts who had predicted strong sales but not record breaking numbers."

having characteristics that are unique to an individual or group

"His style is idiosyncratic."

"The artist's idiosyncratic style made her work instantly recognizable to anyone who knew her paintings."

happening at irregular intervals

"His visits are infrequent."

"The infrequent bus service in the rural area meant that residents often had to wait for two hours or more to travel to the nearest town."

different from what is usual or expected

"The test result is abnormal."

"The test results showed abnormal levels of cholesterol in his blood so the doctor advised him to change his diet immediately."

in a manner that is unlikely to happen or occur

"Improbably he won the lottery twice."

"Improbably he won the lottery twice in the same year and bought a house and a car with his winnings."

not on a regular basis

"I occasionally eat fast food."

"I occasionally eat fast food on Fridays as a treat after a long week of work and studying."

a feature that sets something or someone apart

"His peculiarity is wearing mismatched socks."

"The strange peculiarity of his behavior made everyone feel uncomfortable during the meeting."

a surprising piece of good luck

"It was a fluke."

"Winning the lottery was a complete fluke, as he had never bought a ticket before."

not based on reason or logic

"His fear is irrational."

"The irrational fear of spiders kept her from entering the basement where she had seen a web."

having no basis in fact or reality, making something unreliable or untrue

"Her claim is unfounded."

"The unfounded rumors about the company caused its stock price to drop temporarily."

so unreasonable or illogical that it provokes disbelief or laughter

"The idea is absurd."

"The absurd idea that the earth is flat has been proven wrong by scientists for hundreds of years now."

strangely unbelievable or bizarre

"The story is fantastical."

"The fantastical creatures in the story included dragons unicorns and talking animals."

beyond what is explainable by natural laws, often attributed to divine or mystical forces

"The event is supernatural."

"The supernatural events in the horror movie made the audience scream and cover their eyes."

so absurd or ridiculous that it provokes laughter

"His excuse is laughable."

"The amount of money he offered for the car was laughable and she refused to sell it."

extremely silly and deserving to be laughed at

"That is ridiculous."

"The price of the designer handbag is ridiculous and nobody should pay five thousand dollars for something made of leather."

too unlikely to believe or imagine

"It is inconceivable."

"The inconceivable idea that humans could fly was once considered impossible but now we have airplanes."

absurd and contrary to common sense

"His idea is preposterous."

"The preposterous claim that the moon landing was faked has been debunked by scientists."

unconventional or strange in a way that is striking or shocking

"His story is outlandish."

"The politician's outlandish proposal was immediately rejected by the parliament because nobody believed that it could actually work in practice."

beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding or explanation

"The activity is paranormal."

"The paranormal investigators spent the night in the haunted house trying to capture evidence of ghosts."

contradictory to the expectations that are formed on common sense or intuition

"The result is counterintuitive."

"The counterintuitive result surprised the scientists because it contradicted everything they expected to find."

not based on reason but on chance or personal impulse, which is often unfair

"The decision is arbitrary."

"The teacher's grading seemed arbitrary because students with similar answers received very different scores and nobody understood the system."

related to an artistic style that emphasizes the bizarre, dreamlike, or irrational, often blending reality with fantasy in unexpected ways

"The scene is surreal."

"The surreal landscape looked like a dream with floating rocks and trees growing upside down."

unreasonable or exaggerated to the point of being ridiculous

"His outfit is ludicrous."

"The ludicrous plan involved digging a tunnel under the prison wall with a spoon."

the intentional deviation from what is considered right or good

"Perversity of fate."

"The perversity of fate made him lose everything just when success seemed close."

a logically contradictory statement that might actually be true

"The statement created a confusing paradox"

"It is a paradox that saving money requires spending less but economies need people to spend."

exciting or beautiful because of having qualities that are very unusual or different

"The fruit is exotic."

"The exotic fruits at the market included dragon fruit rambutan and mangosteen which she had never seen before because they do not grow in her country."

curiously distinct, unique, or unusual

"A quaint little village."

"We stayed in a quaint little bed and breakfast nestled in the rolling hills of the countryside."

occurring unexpectedly or without prior planning

"The damage was accidental."

"The damage to the car was accidental and the driver apologized for backing into the mailbox."

the quality of being noticeably new or different

"The novelty wore off."

"The new novelty toy became very popular among children in a short time."