1
as in strange
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion
one competitor had a queer way of running that attracted a lot of attention from the spectators
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unusual
noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced
a lot of queer things started happening almost from the day that we moved into the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged
queer business practices that bear some looking into
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to humble
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in to gum (up)
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of queer
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Was this his way of queering e-commerce, subverting the platform from within?
—Oscar Schwartz, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2024
Fish lesbians often queered feminine aesthetics, warping heteronormative and cisnormative expectations of gender to play with them in more imaginative ways.
—Quispe López, Them, 1 Aug. 2024
Almodóvar’s gaze is more like a series of fun house mirrors here, passing through classic dime-store-novel narrative, the macho-man canon of midcentury Technicolor westerns and the winky camp of queering it all in circa-2023 couture.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
Verb
These films have always carried rich undercurrents: the corporate exploitation of blue-collar workers (the Nostromo crew, the marines in Aliens, the kids of Romulus), queered reproduction via body horror, Ripley’s evolving incarnations of motherhood, human hubris punished by its own creations.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2025
Was this his way of queering e-commerce, subverting the platform from within?
—Oscar Schwartz, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2024
Fish lesbians often queered feminine aesthetics, warping heteronormative and cisnormative expectations of gender to play with them in more imaginative ways.
—Quispe López, Them, 1 Aug. 2024
Almodóvar’s gaze is more like a series of fun house mirrors here, passing through classic dime-store-novel narrative, the macho-man canon of midcentury Technicolor westerns and the winky camp of queering it all in circa-2023 couture.
—Leah Greenblatt, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for queer
Adjective
-
Truth is stranger than fiction.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
17 June 2026
-
As Photay, Shornstein—a master synthesist and producer—flits between atmospheric house, dubby breakbeat workouts, and chirping electro funk, building his songs’ arrangements into strange, angular shapes.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
French authorities said unusual betting patterns were detected around a yellow card Wahi received in a Ligue 1 match while playing for Nice last month.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
-
The bar can do classic and pretty, strong and aromatic, familiar and unusual in the same round.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
If healthier people drop out of the risk pool, fewer people subsidize the people who get sick, Gidwani said.—
Andrew Jones,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Nara Organics issued the recall of all lots of Nara Organics Whole Milk Infant Formula after, according to the company recall notice, the FDA and CDC told the company about babies sick with infant botulism in California, Pennsylvania and Washington.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
The logic here is highly questionable — dying for your queen and dying by her hand are not equivalent sacrifices — but let’s blame Lorent’s lapse in judgment on the chaos of the moment.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
-
Indeed, Femi is just that, even despite a questionable loss to Lesnar in their second match at Clash in Italy last month.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Still, Griffin found the moment humbling.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Luis Enrique then led the nation to the Euro 2020 semi-finals, losing on penalties again to Italy, but World Cup 2022 brought another humbling last-16 defeat by Morocco — settled once more by a shootout.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
In this conflict, almost 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed — a higher death toll than Iran’s — including 746 women, children and health workers; and more than triple that wounded.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2026
-
The International Committee of the Red Cross said 2025 was the worst year for civilians in a decade, with more than 900 people killed or wounded by explosive devices.—
Ines Capdevila,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
Adjective
-
Other members of the cast contribute some sharp edges and moments that are legitimately funny.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
Someone’s losing their dignity, and that’s funny.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Tornadoes are not uncommon in Streator, a small rural town about 100 miles southwest of Chicago.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
-
Todd Sohn, chief ETF strategist at Strategas Securities, says the pattern is familiar, even if the scale is uncommon.—
Krysta Escobar,
CNBC,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Queer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/queer. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
