freak of nature

noun phrase

: someone or something that differs markedly from what is usual or standard: such as

a

: a person of outstanding talent

… when it comes to the overall position and everything it encompasses, it's hard for me to put anyone ahead of [football tight end Rob] Gronkowski, who was an absolute freak of nature on the field.

—Jordy McElroy

b

: an extremely uncommon occurrence

Four people were injured Friday night in a wreck that one official called a "freak of nature"—after a tree fell onto a passing car on Porters Bluff Road.

—Jamie Dexter

A no-hitter is a freak of nature. It requires nine innings of mastery by a pitcher against another team's lineup, but it also requires a bit of good fortune.

—Tracy Ringolsby

c

: an unusual or abnormal organism

They say the animal is a freak of nature—a rare hybrid giant resulting from the union of a large Steller sea lion and a smaller California species.

—The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia)

Today, that cannabis plant is an enormous freak of nature, and far larger than your average kitchen refrigerator.

—Dan Casey

d

disparaging + usually offensive : a person having a physical abnormality

Examples of freak of nature in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

All in a day’s work, Nikola Jokic dodged questions about his aggression against Rudy Gobert, exhibited gentle embarrassment at being called a genius by his coworkers, then referred to himself as a freak of nature with a complete poker face. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 May 2024

Semien has the fourth-highest vote total among all AL players behind LA Angels freak of nature Shohei Ohtani, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. —Evan Grant, Dallas News, 12 June 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above