Good question, kiddo. My opinion of such people is, they are being pretentious. Dottie

Great observation, Joann.

LOL That's like teaching children that they are "special". If we're ALL special, how can anybody be special!? LOL

Joann, I think you just happen to be surrounded with a group of people who have diverse, varied, eclectic tastes and believe me, you don't find that everywhere, especially in rural areas.

How often have you heard a bunch of people agree amongst themselves that there hasn't been any good music coming out since the early '70s? Or that 'disco sucks' and so does Abba. And then go on to say how stupid rap music is and how dumb country music is, and so on and so on. I come across those sort of people all the time. There really ARE people out there who do not open themselves up to new things or traditional things that they did not grow up with. And this applies to not only taste in music, but all other things from fashion to politics.

It got me to thinking that I've had this sort of conversation many times before, with many other people talking about how eclectic their tastes are. "Oh, yes, I enjoy classic rock, country, and quite a bit of classical music." And so on and on.

So what's so eclectic about it? As far as I can tell, most people enjoy a variety of things.

Their taste in music is eclectic, or a mix of different kinds. They are not saying that they are unique, as a lot of folks like a a lot of different music and then there are those who only listen to country, or only listen to rock, or only listen to etc.

My decorating style is what you would call eclectic, or a mix of different styles. I'm sure I am not unique that way, as there are likely a lot of folks with different styles in their decorating scheme.

My coffee mugs are eclectic, no two alike. I had a nice matching set I grew tired of and gave them away...to much of the same thing.

Sue

Thank you mary c. I've been waiting all day for someone to post the definition (I was too lazy) . What I wanted to say earlier is that there is a misconception here. Eclectic doesn't mean different, it means varied.. I suppose your friends could just say they like a mish mosh of things, but eclectic covers the bill very nicely. I don't think they're trying to sound or be superior.

At times, it can also mean "indecisive". :)

LOL at Cynic.

Yes there is nothing pretentious about using the word eclectic. It is merely a descriptive term.Mary C explained it best.

Thanks mary_c. I was going to add the link to the dictionary definition of the word to my post but didn't want any backlash and accusations of being "over Googled". I was hoping someone else would link or post the definition.

I don't like Country music and I don't like opera. But I love Rock and Roll and I'll listen to classics by Beethoven. I guess I'm not eclectic.

In most cases I would guess ppl call themselves eclectic because they cannot pronounce heterogeneous or they think it has something to do with their sexual preferences LOL.

Thanks mary_c. I was going to add the dictionary definition also. Knowing the definition of words is almost always the best way to answer questions about a word,

LIL

Everyone ... can have "varied" interests, right? As someone said ... it's not an exclusive club.

But some - quite a number? - don't ... for whatever reason, they have limited interests.

I guess my judgement of that is something along the line of, " ... what a waste of perfectly good brain power!".

ole joyful ... who has varied, if not electric, interests

I think it's a BUZZ word...we all used to say varied, diverse...now it's Eclectic...maybe it'll pass like "ya know"..."my bad"..."so" "yeah well"...

I'm like lots of different things...boy you shoulda been around when my hubster and I first got married...he was raised in Colonial Williamsburg...I was raised on a farm and city and we had a house of early marriage/junk/auction/handme down...then when we did start buying stuff it was modern and contemporary...My MIL was beside herself...but we finally saw the light and went traditional...now she likes me a little better...not much but a little...LOL

I don't see any misuse of the word eclectic either. The mix of music on my iPod is eclectic- from Black Eyed Peas to Vivaldi flute solos, country to blues, Beatles to Spanish guitar. Eclectic, a little mix of what I like best in a variety of genres.

Maybe there is some confusing the word eclectic with eccentric. If they said they were eccentric, then that would suggest they feel their taste deviates from the norm.

I like to tell students "You ARE unique, just like everyone else." They get it, but don't find it funny. ;o)

I do know what eclectic means, and now that I think of it, I realize that it wasn't literally being misused. But I do think it's often used when people want to show how interesting and difficult to peg they are.

Although, now that I think of it, I suppose I just assume that most people have eclectic tastes, so it's not something you'd bother to bring up, since it's the norm. (Though I do love learning which specific combination of things appeals to an individual.) Dilly Dally, maybe you're right, and I'm fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who appreciate all sorts of things.

Well, at least you guys have got me thinking. I must admit to having a knee-jerk negative reaction to the word "eclectic," and I'll try to temper that in the future.