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

But, like Brady and LeBron, Messi at almost 39 is a physical unicorn, defying time, defying logic, defying opponents who assume this freak of nature can’t possibly still be this great. — Greg Cote may 18, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026

DeGrom, 38, seems to just be a freak of nature. — Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026

With three silvers and three golds to her name across two Olympics, Gu is a freak of nature, extraordinary in every sense of the word. — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026

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 at sense d

Rhymes for freak of nature

• legislature
• nomenclature