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

2a : 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.

Other Words from outlandish Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about outlandish

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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. a journey filled with strange sights singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness. a singular feeling of impending disaster unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel. a career unique in the annals of science peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness. the peculiar status of America's first lady eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior. the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating. a friend's suddenly erratic behavior odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected. an odd sense of humor quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness. a quaint fishing village outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric. outlandish fashions of the time

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.

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 on the Web

Versace, with its Medusa-head logo, is one of the more outlandish major Italian fashion labels. — Kim Bhasin, The Seattle Times, "Michael Kors $2 billion bet on Versace may be too bold," 25 Sep. 2018 In some ways, her behavior is just as outlandish as her guests. — refinery29.com, "Iyanla: Fix My Life Is Proof That Sometimes Our Aunties Get It Wrong," 3 May 2018 Its outlandish plot would distract me from the world’s current garbage fire. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Why "The O.C." Deserves a Reboot," 26 Dec. 2018 Cybernetic organisms are no longer an outlandish sci-fi futurism. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "The Leafy Green Cyborgs Are Coming," 6 Dec. 2018 That’s why the city expelled ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft two years ago on the outlandish pretext that the apps wouldn’t be safe unless every driver went through a fingerprint background check. — John Daniel Davidson, WSJ, "Austin Votes to Keep the Books Closed," 30 Nov. 2018 The outlandish hairpieces and facial prosthetics produce an effect somewhere between TV sketch comedy and Kabuki theater. — Jay Longino, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Uncle Drew,’ N.B.A. Stars Keep Dunking With Age," 28 June 2018 Unconventional, outlandish and offbeat—Nicola Formichetti’s work can be described as all of those words and then some. — Kristen Bateman, Vogue, "Nicola Formichetti’s Advice on Bringing Analogue Charm Into Your Home," 17 May 2018 Kevin Hart is also coming back for a second season of his show, What the Fit, which features the comedian and his friends trying out unique and outlandish workouts. — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, "Will Smith, Priyanka Chopra are headed to YouTube with new projects," 3 May 2018

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.