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Synonym Chooser

How is the word weird distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words eerie and uncanny are common synonyms of weird. While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

When would eerie be a good substitute for weird?

While in some cases nearly identical to weird, eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

When might uncanny be a better fit than weird?

The meanings of uncanny and weird largely overlap; however, uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

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 weird Okay, that sounded weird—but Carter’s sells a handful of their adorable holiday nightgowns for little girls with a matching version for their tiny doll BFFs. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 22 Oct. 2025 This is where San Francisco gets wonderfully weird. Anita Chabria, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025 The Colorado Avalanche was heading for its first regulation loss of the season on a weird night in Utah. Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025 Anecdotal evidence suggests that some anachronistic fruits – such as the weird, bumpy-textured and softball-size Osage orange – were dispersed by ancient megafauna such as giant ground sloths. Aditya Reddy Kurre, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for weird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weird
Adjective
  • As travelers crave experiences over ordinary stays, hotels that have transformed grim to glam are now embracing their bizarre and sometimes haunted histories, even hosting weddings and wellness retreats.
    Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2025
  • But things take a bizarre turn when her son, Simón (Roger Príncep), goes missing.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • From an island shaped like a battleship to a village said to be home to a legendary witch, explore seven of the world’s eeriest, most mysterious destinations.
    Sarah Hutter, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Over the years, in a third-floor guestroom (3327) where the woman stayed, guests have reported a number of strange and eerie occurrences.
    Noreen Kompanik, Boston Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Although Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprised their roles as the magical trio for the 2022 sequel, Birch, Katz and Shaw were not present for the onscreen reunion.
    Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Enjoying a swimming hole in the summer is a prime Vermont pastime, but the state's waterways are just as magical in the colder months.
    Megan Margulies, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Bessent, who specialized in foreign exchange in a decades-long hedge fund career, organized a $20 billion foreign-exchange swap with Argentina’s central bank earlier this month — an unusual structure that bypassed the US Federal Reserve, which is typically the lead party in such arrangements.
    Daniel Flatley, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Tucked away in a couple of buildings in Old Town are rows upon rows of colorful artwork, which is not especially unusual for the state historic park.
    Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Silver Bullet The idea of league partners doing journalism is always a strange subject.
    Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Years later, now a lawyer, Andi wins a radio contest where the host, Jake (Romaine Waite), turns the story of the sleigh bell and stranger into a segment, as listeners help track down her mystery man before Christmas.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • While not entirely up to par with its predecessor, its incorporation of the Amityville house murders, Joseph Bishara's haunting musical score, and Wan's hyper-frenzied direction should still leave most Conjuring fans satisfied.
    Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Yet that depth is what makes Battle Royale so haunting.
    The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The event was attended by 1,000 people, including Warhol, Shields, Lauren Hutton, Marisa Berenson, Calvin Klein, Jerome Robbins, Liza Minnelli, Raquel Welch, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Plácido Domingo, while Muhammad Ali performed magic tricks, before dinner was served in the Temple of Dendur.
    Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Her whole body of work has been a magic act of comedy and really beautiful character writing.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Kristen Bell and her husband Dax Shepard are known to be funny, but one joke has kept them in the public eye all week.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
  • The film is also possibly Reichardt’s funniest thus far.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Weird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weird. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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