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 Simpsons struggle to find the light through two dark tales of the curious and bizarre in this Disney+ exclusive. Joe Otterson, Variety, 28 May 2026 Kudrow was taking part in the The Hollywood Reporter's Comedy Actresses Emmy Roundtable when participants were posed a question about the most bizarre encounters with fans. Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026 The bizarre thing about temperatures on Saturday is that the highs will occur in the early morning hours (just after midnight) and then drop off during the day. Terry Eliasen, CBS News, 28 May 2026 What is the most bizarre fan interaction each of you has ever had? Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for bizarre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bizarre
Adjective
  • There is always the possibility that something absurd might occur — the equivalent of Neymar’s 2017 move to Paris Saint-Germain, for instance — but that’s extremely unlikely.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 27 May 2026
  • Ironically, the fears of two Republicans advancing were driven by Democratic data vendor Paul Mitchell, who built a prediction machine using absurd inputs like betting odds and polls that cannot account for things like rape allegations.
    Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Adjective
  • The author could herself be considered predatorial, having written her own children in as the books’ protagonists, saddling them with a strange kind of fame.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
  • This strange occurrence echoes what happened at the top of the dot-com bubble 26 years ago.
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 2 June 2026
Adjective
  • After eighteen months of crisis that saw historic urban fires, harassment by federal immigration authorities, and the generalized anxiety that attends a place where rents are high and services low, public transit inadequate and gas prices insane, the city’s vitality is flagging.
    Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
  • Lots of wires, lots of insane stunts.
    Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026
Adjective
  • The movie goes from this weird, seedy love motel to the industrial backwaters, and these long walks and talks down empty streets.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026
  • The show hinges on finding an ordinary person who, plunged into a group of people he’s never met before, doesn’t reject them as weird or objectionable but embraces them at some basic human level.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 1 June 2026
Adjective
  • If the target was foolish enough to reuse passwords, credential thefts like these could enable the compromise of more important accounts.
    Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 3 June 2026
  • Backing the Cubs right now seems foolish.
    David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2026
Adjective
  • Some kind of carpet beetle, with the odd centipede joining the parade.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • Here, as ever, Kokopeli suggests that clinging to youthful talismans offers no protection against uncertainty, and reasserts the odd mix of disaffection and morbid glee produced by such reactionary impulses.
    Theo Belci, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Adjective
  • The situation only worsens after 9/11, the immediate, unreal impact of which Rivilis sharply captures with a steady pan across a classroom of stunned students, their faces in various states of stricken disbelief, if not simply in their hands.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 May 2026
  • But Miller’s first 11 appearances were unreal.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2026
Adjective
  • Some of these flourishes are jarringly funny, others merely stop the film momentarily in its tracks.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 June 2026
  • People being all excited to be in an alliance that doesn't actually exist shouldn't be funny.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bizarre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bizarre. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.

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