freak 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of freaknext
as in unusual
being out of the ordinary even weather forecasters seemed surprised by the freak hailstorm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

freak

2 of 2

noun

ˈfrēk How to pronounce freak (audio)
1
as in anomaly
a person, thing, or event that is far from normal that snowstorm in April was a freak, since our weather is usually much balmier by then

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lover
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something I'm a hockey freak

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whim
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action suddenly had the bizarre freak to take a road trip across the country

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in addict
slang a person who regularly uses drugs especially illegally he knew that he'd never get his life in order if he continued to hang out with the crystal meth freaks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 freak
Adjective
An Army hockey player was cut in the neck in a freak accident during a game at Sacred Heart on Thursday night, leaving a bloody trail on the ice at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2023 Her young niece, Cady (Violet McGraw), is on a ski trip with her parents when, in a freak accident, their car is run over by a snowplow. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Jan. 2023
Noun
But when her father, Ralph, dies in a freak construction job accident, the wide-eyed teen enters public high school for the very first time as a sophomore. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026 The 17th year of Mosswood Meltdown at Oakland’s Mosswood Park brought with it a parade of free-thinking freaks on stage and in the crowd that descended on a punker’s picnic paradise for its annual outing of 20 bands over three days last weekend. — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for freak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freak
  1. unusual
  2. anomaly
  3. lover
  4. whim
  5. addict
  6. extraordinary
  7. mutation
  8. sucker
Adjective
  • At the recommendation of assistant director of player personnel Jason Stein, the Mets signed Yan to a two-year minor-league deal, an unusual contract for a healthy pitcher.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Her parents approach sexuality head on, almost with glee, which is certainly unusual for their time and place.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of unusual
Noun
  • Agencies are moving fast toward letting AI agents query government data directly; not just render dashboards for humans to read, but retrieve records, summarize case files and flag anomalies on their own.
    — Gopichand Mannava, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Pettigrew said the object came into view in April 2015 and resembles an anomaly seen in photographs taken in the months and years after Earhart's disappearance.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of anomaly
Noun
  • Talking Animals Books in Grapevine is leading the second annual event, encouraging book lovers to wander beyond Main Street and into the heart of the area's indie literary scene.
    — CBS News Texas Staff, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Storch does not pretend to be a long-distance lover of English football.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of lover
Noun
  • Janse uses no-till farming on his fields — not plowing the soil, planting crops to cover the ground year-round and adding organic matter — to help cope with the whims of the weather as climate change triggers more extremes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The question is whether that dash is written intentionally or at the whims of the universe.
    — Catherine Bell, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of whim
Noun
  • If people encounter a meth addict giving them a bag of food, how are they supposed to feel about that chain?
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The actor appeared on The Tonight Show to discuss his role on the HBO drama and reflected on the significance of his role as recovering drug addict Ali Muhammad.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of addict
Adjective
  • Something extraordinary these episodes illustrate, in our view, is the vulnerability of America’s highly interconnected fresh-food supply chain, in which one grower or supplier problem can ripple astonishingly far.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Sen’s choreography extends this ancient form, adding partnering and dynamic range; her dancers, all trained under her tutelage, move with extraordinary clarity and incisiveness.
    — Shauna Lyon, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of extraordinary
Noun
  • In a live context, and with the limits imposed by a hardware-heavy setup, there’s more possibility that the process will throw out some startling mutation.
    — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2026
  • And there have been issues with adapting seasonal vaccines when expected strains surprise us with unexpected mutations.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of mutation
Noun
  • Often, a tree grows suckers in response to stress from pests, diseases, or damage, or to difficult conditions such as inadequate root space or insufficient water.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
  • This sucker is super small and lightweight, clips on in a second, and feels damn close to the original inputs.
    — David Pierce, The Verge, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of sucker

Phrases Containing freak

Browse Nearby Words

frazzling
freak
freaked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Freak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freak. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on freak

Nglish: Translation of freak for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All