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 The reality-television star, known for her outlandish, raunchy look, would traipse down the street or the boardwalk wearing short shorts and a pair of hefty, hairy boots. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Why I’m Obsessed With the Return of Big Furry Boots," 10 Mar. 2021 Black communities are not making outlandish demands. — Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, "To Hell with Unity," 2 Mar. 2021 In emotional remarks on the House floor, Ms. Greene expressed regret on Thursday for her previous comments and disavowed many of her most outlandish and repugnant statements. — New York Times, "House Exiles Marjorie Taylor Greene From Panels, as Republicans Rally Around Her," 4 Feb. 2021 Constitutional scholars and experts in election law view Texas’ arguments as outlandish. — Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, "Six GOP-led states join Texas bid to overturn Biden’s election, as Trump dines with Paxton and other AGs," 10 Dec. 2020 Other allegations of misconduct at TCF not included in the lawsuit were at times outlandish. — Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan Senate hears from GOP, no Democrats or Detroit staff, on allegations at TCF Center," 1 Dec. 2020 In a Thursday event at the Republican National Committee, members of Trump’s legal team claimed a vast conspiracy, dismissed by many as outlandish, involving the Venezuelan government that switched millions of votes. — Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, "In op-ed, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman says transition to Biden administration should begin," 23 Nov. 2020 The Rudy Giuliani–led press conference at the RNC yesterday was the most outlandish and irresponsible performance ever by a group of lawyers representing a president of the United States. — The Editors, National Review, "Trump’s Disgraceful Gambit," 20 Nov. 2020 This primer shines light on the little (and sometimes not so little) garnishes that lean toward the functional, the fun or the marginally outlandish. — Rebekah Peppler, Los Angeles Times, "How to garnish a cocktail? Here’s your guide to the basics — with a twist," 2 Apr. 2021

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.