outlandish
Americanadjective
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freakishly or grotesquely strange or odd, as appearance, dress, objects, ideas, or practices; bizarre.
outlandish clothes; outlandish questions.
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having a foreign appearance.
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remote from civilized areas; out-of the-way.
an outlandish settlement.
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Archaic. foreign; alien.
adjective
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grotesquely unconventional in appearance, habits, etc
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archaic foreign
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of outlandish
before 1000; Middle English; Old English ūtlendisc. See outland, -ish 1
Explanation
If something is outlandish it's bizarre or unfamiliar, far outside the boundaries of expected or normal behavior. Driving around the city in a golf cart and eating spaghetti with pineapple sauce are both examples of outlandish behavior. It's easy to imagine how the word outlandish originated. The Old English root is utland, which literally means "out-land," or foreign. Now, it would be inappropriate to refer to a foreigner as outlandish, unless, say, he shows up to the office in a red patent-leather Speedo and a ten-gallon hat.
Vocabulary lists containing outlandish
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 8
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When insurers refuse to pay what they consider outlandish or unjustified claims, some providers pursue people directly, dragging families into financial and legal turmoil and disrupting care for disabled children.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
I know — some people may think this is an outlandish idea.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
With neither party offering an alternative to policies of mass incarceration, recognizing the humanity of those convicted of crimes seems outlandish — and offering them a path to redemption seems downright heretical.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026
But for an outlandish romance set in a theme-park version of Italy that features more slow-motion shots of food being tossed in the air than an ’80s McDonald’s commercial, it’s actually pretty charming.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
As outlandish as this all seems, he has never once been patronizing.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
