strangeness

noun strange·ness \ ˈstrānj-nəs \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Definition of strangeness

1 : the quality or state of being strange

2 : the flavor characterizing a strange quark

Recent Examples of strangeness from the Web

An international co-production between Ukraine, Germany and Monaco, director Roman Bondarchuk's first dramatic feature is a mix of Kafka-esque road movie and contemporary western, rich in sumptuous visuals and lyrical strangeness.

— stephen dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Volcano': Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2018," 13 July 2018
Going with Rolls rather than Caddy is part of the movie’s stalwart strangeness.

— mark feeney, BostonGlobe.com, "‘The King’ takes Elvis’s Rolls-Royce for a ride," 11 July 2018
But that strangeness is unpacked by the filmmaker Dawn Porter in Bobby Kennedy for President, which sells itself as a docuseries about Kennedy’s 1968 campaign but is really about his significance within politics.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "What If Robert F. Kennedy Had Become President?," 30 Apr. 2018
Why must normality encompass such horrible strangeness?

— ashleigh young, The Cut, "Ghost Knife," 2 July 2018
For me the joy of it is the strangeness of the way life can tip into farce and horror at the same moment.

— roslyn sulcas, New York Times, "For Hugh Grant, a Smaller Screen Brings a More Complex Role," 22 June 2018
All five risk-taking films share a creative strangeness that surpasses the limiting respectability of the Academy Awards.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "'2001': Kubrick's enduring gamble," 3 July 2018
There’s a distinctly meta aspect to GLOW’s second season, which is essentially a television show finding its footing about a television show finding its footing, while its stars adjust to the strangeness of their (relative) newfound fame.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Working Women of GLOW," 1 July 2018
For all the dislocation, strangeness and pain of being separated forcibly from parents, many children can and do recover, said Mary Dozier, a professor of child development at the University of Delaware.

— benedict carey, New York Times, "A Troubling Prognosis for Migrant Children in Detention: ‘The Earlier They’re Out, the Better’," 18 June 2018

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