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 title track’s weird coherence does make some of the lesser tracks feel like experiments that didn’t pan out. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026 Mike Jackson got a groin kind of chasing across the field, hit the ground weird. — Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2026 In the wake of Dune, and thanks in part to his long creative partnership with Lynch, MacLachlan flexed his chops in a number of roles that mined dark and weird territory. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026 Innovative filmmakers, like Alan Resnick and Casper Kelly, used the bait-and-switch exhibition premise as an excuse to explore their arthouse ambitions and get very, very weird on broadcast. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for weird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weird
Adjective
  • In a bizarre way, meeting the late, great Lynch — whom Watts did an impeccable impression of, pretend cigarette and all — was almost like therapy for the actress, who landed that breakout role at the age of 31.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2026
  • In 2018, Entertainment Weekly wrote an oral history of the bizarre entertainment at the 1989 gala.
    — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • A lot of records released on or around 9/11 took on some eerie subtext after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers.
    — Charles Moss, SPIN, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The dark, eerie underground tunnel the ragtag group finds themselves in?
    — Corbin Bolies, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The Mary Poppins of the novels is often noted for being more mysterious, mercurial and dangerous than her film incarnation, and the adventures in the books are magical, surreal and sometimes frightening.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The film followed the trials of a struggling keyboardist who gets hold of a magical synthesizer, only to lose it and embark on a picaresque journey to get it back.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Voters are deeply concerned about income disparity but also skeptical about the unusual approach of the billionaire tax.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The incident adds an unusual detail to the growing record of autonomous AI behavior.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The reunion becomes even stranger when Constance prepares for a dark holiday celebration, with Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) from Cult helping decorate a black Christmas tree topped with a pentagram.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The public wiki case offers a particularly strange example of the problem.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The glamorous, haunting, oh-so-theatrical love story of the legendary Baron Laurence Olivier and his equally iconic first lady, Vivien Leigh, is one filled with superlatives on both sides.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
  • These numbers are especially haunting because the movement was never only about women.
    — Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • And yet liminality is the space where real healing and most of life happens—where, quietly and unexpectedly, the real work and magic unfold.
    — Stefanie Benjamin, Travel + Leisure, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The whole concept sounds pretty cool, but this device is not quite a magic box.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Peppino Mazzullo, the Italian actor who provided the voice for the mouse puppet Topo Gigio, best known for his frequent, funny appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, died Wednesday.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
  • While Eisenman’s works are funny at first glance, a nuanced narrative, interweaving the personal and political, can usually be teased out of them.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Weird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weird. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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