Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

Thesaurus

strange

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of strange

1 different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion
  • The strange smell we'd noticed turned out, unhappily, to be from the dinner our host was making.
Synonyms of strange

bizarre, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kooky (also kookie), odd, off-kilter, off-the-wall, offbeat, out-of-the-way, outlandish, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, screwy, spaced-out, wacky (also whacky), way-out, weird, wild
Words Related to strange

aberrant, abnormal, addlepated, flaky

extraordinary, fantastic (also fantastical), freak, freakish, freaky, phenomenal

atypical, rare, singular, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, unwonted

conspicuous, notable, noticeable, outstanding, prominent, salient, striking

atrocious, outrageous, shocking

out-there, unconventional, unorthodox

baffling, bewildering, confounding, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling
Near Antonyms of strange

average, commonplace, everyday, garden, normal, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday

conformist, conservative, conventional

expected, familiar, predictable

common, customary, frequent, habitual, regular, wonted
2 excitingly or mysteriously unusual
  • strange fruits from faraway lands
Synonyms of strange

exotic, fantastic (also fantastical), glamorous (also glamourous), marvelous (or marvellous), outlandish, romantic
Words Related to strange

colorful, picture-book, picturesque, quaint

alien, foreign

dark, distant, faraway, remote

alluring, captivating, enchanting, fascinating, magical
Antonyms of strange

familiar, nonexotic, nonglamorous, unexotic, unglamorous, unromantic
3 not known or experienced before
  • Using public transportation was all very strange to a rural girl like her.
Synonyms of strange

fresh, new, novel, original, unaccustomed, unfamiliar, unheard-of, unknown, unprecedented
Words Related to strange

innovative, unique

nontraditional, unconventional, untried, unused, unworn

pathbreaking, pioneering, trailblazing
Near Antonyms of strange

conventional, established, traditional, tried, tried-and-true

derivative, imitative
Antonyms of strange

familiar, hackneyed, old, time-honored, tired, warmed-over
4 noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced
  • a rather strange story about a garden filled with poisonous plants
Synonyms of strange

curious, extraordinary, funny, odd, offbeat, out-of-the-way, peculiar, queer, rare, singular, unaccustomed, uncommon, uncustomary, unique, unusual, weird
Words Related to strange

bizarre, eccentric, far-out, kooky (also kookie), oddball, outlandish, way-out

aberrant, abnormal, atypical, exceptional, irregular

newsworthy, notable, noteworthy, noticeable, particular, remarkable, special
Near Antonyms of strange

unexceptional

expected, predictable

familiar, normal, regular, typical
Antonyms of strange

common, ordinary, plain, usual

Synonym Discussion of strange

strange, singular, unique, peculiar, eccentric, erratic, odd, quaint, outlandish mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected. strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable.
    • a journey filled with strange sights
singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness.
    • a singular feeling of impending disaster
unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel.
    • a career unique in the annals of science
peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness.
    • the peculiar status of America's first lady
eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior.
    • the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers
erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating.
    • a friend's suddenly erratic behavior
odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected.
    • an odd sense of humor
quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness.
    • a quaint fishing village
outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric.
    • outlandish fashions of the time

Learn More about strange

  1. See words that rhyme with strange Dictionary: Definition of strange Spanish Central: Translation of strange Nglish: Translation of strange for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of strange for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up strange? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games