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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 For their weird fact, Sarah decided to give us the 411 on chameleon eyes. Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2025 After the Boogg burned, bratwurst were cooked by guild members on the embers of the fire, capping a centuries-old tradition that, for us travelers, was whimsical, weird and quintessentially Swiss. Ben Davidson Correspondent, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2025 This is so weird, as one of my biggest worries is not having enough money. Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 2025 Hosted over in Long Island at Elmont UBS Arena, the funky and somewhat weird red carpet moments were giving 80s and modernity simultaneously. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for weird
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weird
Adjective
  • But everything changes when a string of gruesome killings—which grow increasingly bizarre, with victims covered in rashes and found in deranged, violent states—involves his young daughter Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee).
    Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Paxton’s interest in Paul’s plight was bizarre, obsessive and so far beyond normal operations at the attorney general’s office that the agency’s top officials struggled to convey their concerns during the hourslong meeting with two FBI agents.
    Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The Wax Child is an eerie, unsettling book about a group of women who have apparently been possessed and empowered by a tall and headless Devil.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Uckotter’s eerie depictions of attics, slip dresses, and toys calls to mind the cinematic worlds created by David Lynch.
    Grace Byron, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The plaque used the words magical, alluring, galvanizing and adventurous, and their initials spelled MAGA.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Or, for something simpler and just as magical, step outside after dark and watch the Milky Way stretch and swirl above you.
    Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Because our mulch is rubber, this seemed unusual, and out of caution, the guardian was called immediately.
    Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Routh, who is representing himself, has filed unusual motions requesting strippers and a golf round with the president.
    Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The combination of strange comments, a clear lack of education and experience, and a disturbing personal history with mental health struggles and domestic problems doomed his campaign.
    Kimberly Ross, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Coon admitted that their daughter has also taken up a strange favorite film.
    Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Flash forward to Kubrick’s haunting final act when astronaut Dave Bowman is ensconced, spacesuit in tow, in a bizarre, futuristic rococo hotel suite.
    Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • During the eight-day cruise, guests will visit the terra-cotta temples in Kalna, the Nawabi palaces of Murshidabad, the Mughal gardens of Khushbagh, the haunting ruins of Gaur, and Mayapur’s sprawling Hare Krishna complex.
    Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • That was magic, but that magic is gone.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Boston’s playoff magic number, or the combined number of Red Sox wins and losses by the last team out needed to clinch a playoff berth, is currently 13.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Zambians are warm, funny, proud.
    Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Darkly funny and deeply melancholic, the film turns the family estate into a pressure cooker of grief, grudges and reluctant affection.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Weird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weird. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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