as in unusual
being out of the ordinary
even weather forecasters seemed surprised by the freak hailstorm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lover
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
I'm a hockey freak
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of freak
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2023
It’s just what happens sometimes and it’s just such a freak accident.
—Mohammad Ahmad, cleveland, 4 Jan. 2023
Theo Baker, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
And for the fencer Giovanna Falconetti (Yile Vianello, Corpo Celeste), all seems to be going smoothly until a freak accident suddenly has her facing expulsion from the games.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for 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
It’s just what happens sometimes and it’s just such a freak accident.
—Mohammad Ahmad, cleveland, 4 Jan. 2023
Noun
For most students, Stanford is a normal competitive school, where people go to class and coffee shops and fall in love and freak out over finals.
—Theo Baker, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
And for the fencer Giovanna Falconetti (Yile Vianello, Corpo Celeste), all seems to be going smoothly until a freak accident suddenly has her facing expulsion from the games.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for freak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freak
Adjective
-
But, in other respects, your approach to the future might have been unusual, at least by our modern lights.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
They have also been shown to exhibit play behavior with objects in their enclosures, highly unusual behavior for a reptile.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
This past offseason proved to be an anomaly when the Bulldogs didn’t lose any.—
Connor Riley,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
-
The unconscious brain was learning to tell the tones apart, continuously reorganizing its neural responses to better detect the anomaly over the course of the 10-minute playback.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
Noun
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History buffs, avid hikers, music lovers, wine aficionados, and beach bums will all find a town to love in the Old Dominion.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
-
In addition to being sun lovers, many of the species on this list are heat- and drought-tolerant.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Washington was never meant to be an anthology of presidential whims.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
Farming has always been a challenging endeavor, one that operates at the whim of external forces but with little margin for setbacks.—
The Virginian Pilot And Daily Press Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
This inciting incident gradually links together other dark threads in the building, including a gambling addict attempting to hide a corpse and a woman living alone who is the victim of an assault.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 May 2026
-
AlAnon is a support group for family and friends of alcoholics/addicts.—
Ramona Sentinel,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Cheng traces how, with the help of Kim’s son Jong Il and a distant uncle who was once a pastor, Kim borrowed the tactics of religion to solidify extraordinary psychological control over an entire population.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The second-degree murder charge, officially classified as a class 2 felony with an extraordinary risk of harm, carries an average prison sentence of 17 years, according to nonpartisan legislative analysts.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Among the more unusual succulents Kent has are crested plants — mutations of plants that give them unusual shapes and other characteristics.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Each child born to a parent with the mutation has a 50-50 chance of inheriting it.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The flies are blood-suckers, like mosquitos, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.—
Eva Flowe
May 8,
Charlotte Observer,
8 May 2026
-
Brunson is a sucker for learning, a sucker for details.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Freak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freak. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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