outlandish

adjective out·land·ish \ ˌau̇t-ˈlan-dish \

Definition of outlandish

1 :of or relating to another country :foreign

saw many outlandish animals at the zoo

2 a :strikingly out of the ordinary :bizarre

an outlandish costume

Her book is filled with outlandish characters.

spun some outlandish tales

b :exceeding proper or reasonable limits or standards

workers complain of outlandish hours
—Joan E. Rigdon

outlandish government specifications

3 :remote from civilization

no other young men foolish enough to offer to go to such an outlandish station
—Geog. Jour.

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outlandishly

adverb

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outlandishness

noun

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Examples of outlandish in a Sentence

She fills her books with outlandish characters.
The actress wore an outlandish dress to the awards ceremony.

Recent Examples of outlandish from the Web

Perhaps a reason to forgive his outlandish commercials over the years.

— tom uhler, star-telegram, "It’s hard not to like this iconic Houston furniture owner," 29 Aug. 2017
Among the most outlandish moments is a segment in which the filmmakers imply that the progress of the pro-life movement directly correlates with the U.S.’s low global ranking on maternal health care.

— madeleine kearns, National Review, "What a New Anti-Anti-Abortion Documentary Gets Wrong," 22 July 2017
Following a hearty supper prepared by Miss Glennie, the party of 11 had settled in for a card game when Billy Ray made an outlandish claim.

— maria carter, Country Living, "The Eerie Story Behind the Small Town Everyone Is Flocking to for the Eclipse This Summer," 21 July 2017
Yes, that trade seems outlandish and probably won't happen.

— brian manzullo, Detroit Free Press, "Alex Rodriguez floats an idea: Miguel Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox?," 16 July 2017
To this point, however, the Senate GOP has evinced little appetite for fighting Trump’s appointments, no matter how outlandish.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Gary Cohn Is the Front-runner to Replace Yellen As Fed Chair: Report," 12 July 2017
What purpose does exaggeration serve except to discredit a less outlandish but nevertheless serious story?

— vanityfair.com, "Donnygate, a Russian Pop Star, and the End of the Republic," 11 July 2017
What purpose does exaggeration serve except to discredit a less outlandish but nevertheless serious story?

— t.a. frank, The Hive, "Donnygate, a Russian Pop Star, and the End of the Republic," 11 July 2017
Suddenly, a quantum nose didn't seem so outlandish.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Quantum mechanics can’t smell my unwashed armpits… probably," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'outlandish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In olden times, English speakers used the phrase outlandish man to refer to a foreigner - or, one who came from an outland, which originally meant "a foreign land." From here, outlandish broadened in usage from a word meaning "from another land" to one describing something unfamiliar or strange. Dress was a common early target for the adjective - Henry Fielding, in Tom Jones (1749), writes of a woman who was drest in one of your outlandish Garments. Nowadays, the word can be applied to anything that strikes us as out of the ordinary, as in the description of one man’s outlandish proposal to replace the aging Tappan Zee Bridge with a seven-mile tunnel, from the New York Times, September 16, 2001.

First Known Use of outlandish

before 12th century

outlandish Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of outlandish

strange, singular, unique, peculiar, eccentric, erratic, odd, quaint, outlandish mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected. strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable.