Definition of weirdnext
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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 The result is comfy, eye-catching, and weird in just the right way—catnip for anyone who likes to take risks. — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2026 Coming home to a hostile crowd had to feel surreal … and things only got weirder from there. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026 And yeah, sure, this would be one of those weird-in-retrospect seasons where the show existed without Lorne Michaels. — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026 Director Christopher Nolan uses the premise to stage spectacular sequences where cars reverse down freeways at high speed, cause and effect goes topsy-turvy, and fights are just, well, weird. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for weird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weird
Adjective
  • Creating a licensing body is not a bizarre idea in a world where the FAA determines the airworthiness of planes and banks must pass stress tests to operate.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
  • From bizarre medical tests to a mass phobia of beans, here are 14 surprising facts that reveal just how inventive, eccentric, and fascinating the ancient Greeks really were.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • For instance, Siri’s lack of thinking power compared with other ultra-smart AI agents means that there’s far less of a chance of going rogue, or behaving in eerie ways.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister An eerie fable that seems to take place across and outside of time, The Bog Wife is already a classic of the modern bog-core genre.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • But these magical, convention-defying places are also one of our greatest allies in the fight against climate change.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • While the name sounds dramatic, Goble said there is nothing magical about crossing that temperature threshold.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Six months after Vincent’s suicide, Theo died from the ravages of syphilis, leaving Jo a young widow with a baby to support, not much money, and an unusual inheritance—Vincent’s paintings—more than 400 in total.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
  • While his neighbors weren’t alarmed enough by the unusual sight to call security, Abrams wasn’t as lucky during filming at Radford Studios in Studio City.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • That sentence would have sounded like insanity a few decades ago, but in the strange world of Hollywood in the 2020s, weirder might really be better.
    — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Fielder is a refreshingly candid guide through this strange land.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • The film’s musical score, by Damon Albarn of Blur, has a haunting Bowie-like party-on-the-abyss shimmer.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • John, especially, after the publication of his second book of nonsense verse and stories, had finally cottoned onto the idea of putting some of his literary impulses to good use in song, resulting in some of his most haunting Beatles-era tracks.
    — Darryn King, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • That was the magic gadget that put TONE3000 squarely back in my sights.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
  • All the rest of us need are some magic rings and/or the film‘s theatrical release on February 12.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Underneath the celebrity and the tabloid headlines is someone who’s vulnerable, funny and desperately trying to hold her life together.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The book’s humor is sharp and merciless, akin to that of a standup comedy show, and yet the things described are far from funny.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Weird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weird. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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