Definition of bizarrenext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word bizarre different from other adjectives like it?

The words fantastic and grotesque are common synonyms of bizarre. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

When can fantastic be used instead of bizarre?

While the synonyms fantastic and bizarre are close in meaning, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

When might grotesque be a better fit than bizarre?

Although the words grotesque and bizarre have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral
though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bizarre The bizarre incident started on Anthony Street late Tuesday night and ended on Main Street, according to the police. Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 4 Mar. 2026 The planet is the setting for an unlikely mix of sci-fi, magic, and fantasy, populated by a bizarre assortment of characters whose origins were usually determined by the out-there whims of toymakers — there really is no other way to explain Snout Spout. Richard Edwards, Space.com, 3 Mar. 2026 Though the show’s structure is rather run-of-the-mill despite some very bizarre crimes, the characters keep this series buoyant. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026 In this week’s issue, the reporter James Verini investigates this bizarre and unsettling crime. David Remnick, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bizarre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bizarre
Adjective
  • Characters speak in absurd double entendres no human being could leave unacknowledged.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Instead, Trump will have won by simply refusing to tell a story at all, outside of Hegseth’s absurd football-coach talk.
    Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • It’s been a strange season in City Section soccer, with six schools removed from the playoffs for using ineligible players, most of whom played for club teams while also playing tor their high school team, in violation of CIF bylaw 600.
    Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • For now, Moltbook remains a strange but revealing glimpse into how AI agents might interact in the future.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Stewie’s miserable, the other kids are miserable, and even the turtle is miserable… until Stewie begins rolling out his trusty array of devices to take them anywhere in space and time, turning every boring day at school into an insane and surreal adventure.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026
  • But Sean Penn was so out there and insane.
    Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Fill up on gas and peruse a staggering menu of over 700 variations of fizzy pop, including weird and wonderful flavors such as teriyaki beef jerky soda.
    Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Otezla The only weird aspect of this one is the choice to actually use a real brand name rather than creating some other fake Skyrizi competitor.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Instead of simply challenging the more foolish of those woke policies, our federal and state governments seem hell bent on obliterating any activity that even hints of DEI.
    Maurice O'Sullivan, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2026
  • This kind of talk is also politically foolish and risks alienating the many Americans who already distrust this war.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The occasional odd campaign moment and foot-in-mouth gaff didn't help – neither did Jordan getting top honors from his fellow thespians at the Actor Awards.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 Mar. 2026
  • There's no sight of the near-mythical paiche—an air-breathing fish native to the Amazon basin that can grow to more than 13 feet in length—nor any odd-looking mammals such as the tapir.
    Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Until outlets close to the regime confirmed it, the news felt unreal.
    Pegah Banihashemi, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
  • And the young guys taking steps, like Leo (Carlsson), Cutter (Gauthier), have been unreal.
    Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • For most of the evening, the mood is darkly funny and a little ominous, as the siblings take undermining jabs and the in-laws roll their eyes.
    Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Would that kind of thing have seemed funny at the time, or maybe a clever way to avoid a topic either too personal or too fraught for out-group consumption?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bizarre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bizarre. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.

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