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 Midwest is home to some of the most wonderfully weird roadside attractions in the country — the kind of stops that make kids press their faces to the window and beg you to pull over. Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026 His career spans half a century and includes both stone-cold classics and some of the worst and weirdest Hollywood movies ever made. K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 24 Apr. 2026 Here are six attractions across the heartland that sometimes prove the best reason to pull over is the weirdest one. Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026 The style is surreal, loud, weird, and very obviously fake. Mia Sato, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for weird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weird
Adjective
  • Upset over a bizarre technical foul in Game 2, Booker unloaded on the refs, particularly James Williams.
    Doug Haller, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
  • The New York Giants had a completely bizarre draft on Thursday – one that even left star wide receiver Malik Nabers visibly frustrated during his own simulcast with Green Bay Packers linebacker Micah Parsons.
    Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The singer slowed down the track a bit by adding an acoustic guitar, a pedal steel guitar, and switching out the eerie flute notes for a piano.
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The 2026 Wagner New Play Festival kicks off today at UC San Diego, with three new works by MFA plywriting candidates on topics ranging from caveman romance to self-identity to an eerie high school ritual.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • There, the cast also took time to help Thomas learn the wand dance that is seen on stage, which is supposed to show how the new students at the magical school are learning how to operate their wands.
    Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Mount Fuji’s westerly location means that clear nights offer spectacular sunsets, the sun dipping behind the peak, but sunrise is equally as magical, when the first rays cast their light on the cone.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The barbed fact is that the woman caught in the middle of this unusual male arrangement benefits from none of their newfound emotional enlightenment.
    Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Trent Richardson and Saquon Barkley are the only running backs who have been drafted in the top three picks in the last two decades of the NFL draft, but Jeremiyah Love joins that group as the Cardinals take the unusual move of drafting a back this high.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Getty Images With five weeks of Europe’s biggest domestic league seasons left to play, all kinds of strange scorelines are starting to roll in.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The end of kayfabe brought about a strange artistic flourishing—wrestling postmodernism.
    Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • While its 209-minute runtime may be daunting, the film moves along at an entertaining clip (thanks in part to master editor Thelma Schoonmaker), and the viewer's patience is rewarded with a haunting conclusion that recontextualizes all that came before.
    Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The 2019 overdose death of aspiring personal trainer Cody McLaury was found to have a haunting connection to Perry.
    Jack Hannah, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • For mentalists everywhere, that's the magic question.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
  • And who doesn't love a magic dessert?
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Ike is also just so funny at playing desperate characters like Benny or Morgan Tookers on The Mindy Project.
    Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
  • That’s funny, because even though kids are on Chromebooks all day, most of them aren’t learning how to type!
    Austin Elias-de Jesus, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Weird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weird. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.

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