different between idiosyncrasy vs idiocracy

English

Etymology

First attested in 1604, in modern sense since 1665, from Ancient Greek ????????????? (idiosunkrasía, “one’s own temperament”), from ????? (ídios, “one’s own”) + ??? (sún, “together”) + ?????? (krâsis, “temperament”). Analyzable as idio- +? syn- +? -crasy.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??d??(?)?s??k??si/
• IPA^(key): /??d.i.???s??.k??.si/
• IPA^(key): /??di.??s??k??si/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??dio??s??k??si/
• Hyphenation: idio?syn?crasy

Noun

idiosyncrasy (plural idiosyncrasies)

1. A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person.
2. A language or behaviour that is particular to an individual or group.
3. (medicine) A peculiar individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance or factor.
4. A peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify.

Synonyms

• eccentricity
• foible
• habit
• mannerism
• oddity
• quirk
• vagary

Derived terms

• idiosyncratic
• idiosyncratically

Translations

See also

References

• idiosyncrasy in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• idiosyncrasy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Etymology 1

idiot +? -cracy

Noun

idiocracy (countable and uncountable, plural idiocracies)

1. (humorous) A government run by idiots.
   • 2010, Jacob Weisberg, “Down With the People,” Slate, 6 February, 2010,^[1]

     In trying to explain why our political paralysis seems to have gotten so much worse over the past year, analysts have rounded up a plausible collection of reasons including: President Obama's tactical missteps, the obstinacy of congressional Republicans, rising partisanship in Washington, the blustering idiocracy of the cable-news stations, and the Senate filibuster, which has devolved into a super-majority threshold for any important legislation.

Antonyms

• geniocracy

Translations

Etymology 2

idio- +? -cracy

Noun

idiocracy (countable and uncountable, plural idiocracies)

1. (formal) Government that is based upon abstract theory.

Translations