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
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 out-of-the-way
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
Its business model is to connect travelers in cities that have little or no nonstop service, thus sparing folks from having to change planes in out-of-the-way hubs.
—Chris Dong, AFAR Media, 24 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
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
Its business model is to connect travelers in cities that have little or no nonstop service, thus sparing folks from having to change planes in out-of-the-way hubs.
—Chris Dong, AFAR Media, 24 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
-
But upon Bennet’s arrival, things take a turn for the bizarre, when the wealthy tycoon builds himself a prison cell in the basement, in an apparent act of meditative penance that forces Blakey into an inversion of traditional power dynamics.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Tasked with bringing into reality those that are a little further down on the bizarre end of the spectrum, the show’s prosthetics and VFX teams had their work cut out for them.—
Lisa de los Reyes,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Because our mulch is rubber, this seemed unusual, and out of caution, the guardian was called immediately.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Routh, who is representing himself, has filed unusual motions requesting strippers and a golf round with the president.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Because something very strange happens here.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Probably not, given the company’s strange hesitance to part ways with its current leadership.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The workers may be shackled or handcuffed, and torture is not uncommon.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
While that's not uncommon, Powell warned that Snitker might regret that decision as Acuna has earned the right to hold onto a leading spot amid a slump.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even with Muchová so clearly struggling, Osaka faced some weird jeopardy down the stretch.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Far from being dead, reunions exist now in a zone of distortion, a weird gray area in which many people feel obligated to go without quite knowing why.—
Jordan Michelman,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Several commenters expressed their support for him, saying emphatic no’s and doubling down on how funny the skit was.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The show has captured the world’s imagination with its charming, funny, and relatable observations about everyday family life.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There is an odd statistic connected to Osaka that means everything or nothing.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Beyond the site rise the blocky tops of many-coloured containers, the odd crane.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Lisa, 28, wore a black maxi dress with cutouts, and paired the look with an extremely rare Hermès Birkin while in South Korea's capital city.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Hundreds of thousands of people face rare summer frost alerts on Thursday morning as temperatures plummet.—
Matthew Robinson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share