1
as in bizarre
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion
the night watchman calls the police if he notices any out-of-the-way activity taking place during his shift
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unusual
noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced
there was nothing out-of-the-way about the hitchhiker's appearance that might arouse suspicion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
out of the way
2 of 2phrase
1
as in up
brought or having come to an end
Now that we've got the first step out of the way it's time to start phase two.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
They hoped he wouldn't say anything out of the way at the party.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of out-of-the-way
Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
Named for their out-of-the-way location compared to Nassau, the Out Islands combined welcomed 40% less visitors than Nassau on New Providence Island in 2019.
—Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
With a smartphone camera rolling, Patrick confronted employees of an out-of-the-way retail store that sold the winning ticket for the $83.5 million Lotto Texas jackpot, which was then provided to the actual player by a third-party vendor.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Others are hidden in some of the game's most out-of-the-way underground crevices and practically require the use of collectible in-game treasure maps to find.
—ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for out-of-the-way
Adjective
Act 2 finds the trio ending their six-week engagement at an out-of-the-way Nashville bar.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
Named for their out-of-the-way location compared to Nassau, the Out Islands combined welcomed 40% less visitors than Nassau on New Providence Island in 2019.
—Carley Rojas Ávila, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025
With a smartphone camera rolling, Patrick confronted employees of an out-of-the-way retail store that sold the winning ticket for the $83.5 million Lotto Texas jackpot, which was then provided to the actual player by a third-party vendor.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Others are hidden in some of the game's most out-of-the-way underground crevices and practically require the use of collectible in-game treasure maps to find.
—ArsTechnica, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for out-of-the-way
Recent Examples of Synonyms for out-of-the-way
Adjective
-
In the film, Credenza runs the bizarre amusement park of Twitlandia alongside her husband — delighting in dirty pranks, filth and cruelty along the way.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
-
However, an anonymous NFL general manager has urged the team to target a bizarre position instead.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The shake-up leaves an unusual number of spots open on the party’s Central Committee, which began its term in 2022 with 205 members and 171 non-voting alternates.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Moose Jaw was actually unusual for its welcoming of Chinese immigrants, no small achievement in the often violently racist response to Asian immigrants to North America.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Thomas Wentworth Higginson spent his leisure time writing down the strange new lyrics in his journal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The place was a dump, with paint chipping from the ceilings, floors slanted at strange angles, rodent droppings situated along the floorboards, and paper-thin walls that welcomed in bitter winter air.—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Such alerts are relatively uncommon for Los Angeles.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The play, by Jordan Ramirez Puckett, follows a mother-son cross-country road trip peppered with the teen’s hip-hop music as a brown son and his white mother seek common ground in their uncommon pasts.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The modern world drives you back underground in a weird way.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
-
One of the most compelling takeaways from the Nuggets’ preseason was David Adelman’s willingness to get weird — a quality that escaped them by the end of Michael Malone’s tenure.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
His writing is lavishly detailed and sharply intelligent, nuanced and lyrical but also funny and sometimes surreal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The dudes-rock montage that followed the execution sketch had some genuinely funny bits.—
T. M. Brown,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Exactly 67 seconds later, this odd parka-wearing child makes the same gesture.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The widely varied performances are quietly yet keenly expressive; Reichardt’s dialogue has enticingly odd spin (starting with an ingenious monologue for a precocious child) and the cast delivers it with pinpoint inflections.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Sea star wasting disease is a rare example of a fast and coordinated response to a marine epidemic.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
-
One rare occasion was when the trio came together for Apple's societal debut at Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris last year.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Out-of-the-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/out-of-the-way. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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