Definition of weirdnext
1
2
3
4

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 But then Sarkisian followed up his halftime non-interview with a weird interaction with Holly Rowe, taking some attention off what his team just did. Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 These generated millions of views, and some of them got really weird; Chism and his kids dressed like babies, or pretended to eat cat food off pizza. Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026 Carolina’s previous worst was 52, and this one was so weird in part because of who was making the big mistakes. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2026 Everyone in town thinks the aunts are weird as hell, but who cares? Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for weird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weird
Adjective
  • The bizarre explanation brought an end to an episode that generated widespread attention online after Pierre initially accused the courier of stealing the order.
    Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • An exhausting, head-spinning and often downright silly offseason is officially over after college football really kicked off on Thursday (after the always bizarre Week 0 last weekend).
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Fog has an eerie and enchanting way of coloring how humans perceive our surroundings—and scientists are discovering that the atmospheric phenomenon may remake microbes’ experience of their environment, too.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The actress recalled the eerie deaths and accidents that happened during the shoot of the film, including a fire that ravaged a great part of the set and one of the crew members who lost their newborn child.
    Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Here, Agapi explains why autumn is so magical in the Greek capital, and lets us in on some of her favorite places to visit at this time of year.
    Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The ordeal forces Sally to admit the existence of their magical powers.
    Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • If a machine encounters something unusual or gets stuck, someone monitoring the fleet can briefly intervene until the autonomous system is ready to take back over.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The changes occurred amid an unusual rollout of the blog post.
    Emily Forlini, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • In a strange quirk of the 2026-27 fixture list, Leeds have been sent to the scenes of those crimes in quick succession once again.
    Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In short, unruly crowds, strange smells, intrusive noise and late nights are not unique inventions of the TikTok era.
    Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The comment takes on a haunting resonance three months later, after Panettiere was found unresponsive on a Sunday.
    Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The result is a haunting portrait of social collapse whose power is premised on the words and faces of survivors.
    Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The magic number to clinch the NL Central is down to two, either wins by Milwaukee or losses from Chicago, or both.
    Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Their win over the Reds (70-80) trimmed that magic number to three.
    Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • On paper, the script didn’t seem that funny, and the looseness of it all — the clowning, the lack of a traditional plot structure — seemed kind of slapdash.
    Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The play touches on issues of male bonding, family, reentering the dating pool, loss, grief and despair, while being very funny almost all the time.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Weird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weird. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster