queer

[kweer]

adjective

queerer, queerest 

1. strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different; singular.

   The court has a queer notion of justice.

   Synonyms: weird, eccentric, freakish, curious, unconventional
   Antonyms: ordinary

2. 1. Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.,  (of a person) gay or lesbian.

   2. noting or relating to a sexual orientation or gender identity that falls outside the heterosexual mainstream or the gender binary.

3. of a questionable nature or character; suspicious; shady.

   Something queer about the language of the prospectus kept investors away.

4. not feeling physically right or well; giddy, faint, or qualmish.

   If you feel queer, you should lie down for a bit.

5. mentally unbalanced or deranged.

6. Slang.,  bad, worthless, or counterfeit.

verb (used with object)

1. to spoil; ruin.

2. to put (a person) in a hopeless or disadvantageous situation as to success, favor, etc.

3. to jeopardize.

4. to interpret, analyze, or reconstruct (a narrative) based on the perspectives of people whose experiences fall outside normative ideas of gender and sexuality, especially in academic research and criticism: Her pioneering research queered the portrayal of medical professionals by emphasizing the work of LGBTQ+ doctors.

   This film queers the Western genre by introducing a transgender lead.

   Her pioneering research queered the portrayal of medical professionals by emphasizing the work of LGBTQ+ doctors.

noun

1. Often Disparaging and Offensive.,  (The noun “a queer” is often used with disparaging intent and considered offensive even among those who approve of the corresponding adjective “queer.” The plural “queers” is less likely to offend than the singular “a queer.”)

   1. a gay or lesbian person.

   2. a person whose sexual orientation or gender identity falls outside the heterosexual mainstream or the gender binary.

2. Slang.,  counterfeit money.

queer

/ kwɪə /

adjective

1. differing from the normal or usual in a way regarded as odd or strange

2. suspicious, dubious, or shady

3. faint, giddy, or queasy

4. informal,  homosexual

5. informal,  odd or unbalanced mentally; eccentric or slightly mad

6. slang,  worthless or counterfeit

noun

1. informal,  a homosexual, usually a male

verb

1. to spoil or thwart (esp in the phrase queer someone's pitch )

2. to put in a difficult or dangerous position

Usage Alert

When referring to LGBT+ identities, the label queer can be offensive and painful or embraced and affirming—it all depends on the speaker’s identity, relationship to the subject, and the context of use. In-group vocabulary is not always appropriate for use by others, and it is best to refer to a person by whatever term they have told you they prefer.

Usage

Although the term queer meaning homosexual is still considered highly offensive when used by non-homosexuals, it is often used by homosexuals themselves as a positive term, as in queer politics, queer cinema

Sensitive Note

Historically, queer has meant “strange” in a way that departs from convention. Since the early 20th century, it has also had the meaning “gay or lesbian,” and for much of the time has been used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. Since the 1980s, queer has increasingly been adopted especially among younger members of the gay and lesbian community as a positive term of self-reference. However, the term is not universally accepted within the LGBT community, and might still be viewed by some as degrading. Queer is also a term used by activists and academics: queer politics; scholars of queer literature. The term has more recently come to include any person whose sexuality or gender identity falls outside the heterosexual norm or the gender binary. A person identifying as queer can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer, gender-fluid, etc., and the use of queer allows for the expression of LGBTQ community membership without requiring any specific label. More broadly, within academia, “to queer” can even refer to the act of interpreting a text using any non-normative or marginalized perspective. This sense plays with the dual meaning of queer as referring to people whose genders and sexualities have been marginalized, and as referring to something that is unusual or unconventional. In this sense, introducing the perspectives of people of color or people with disabilities would also be considered queering a text in literary or cultural criticism.

Other Word Forms

• queerly adverb
• queerness noun
• queerish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of queer¹

First recorded in 1500–10; perhaps from German quer “oblique, cross, adverse”

Word History and Origins

Origin of queer¹

C16: perhaps from German quer oblique, ultimately from Old High German twērh

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. queer the pitch, to spoil the chances of success.

Synonym Study

See strange.

Example Sentences

"I hope that maybe someone growing up in a wee town in Fife... maybe someone queer, maybe someone who doesn't feel represented... could see me and see that it's possible," they said.

Read more on BBC

The West Hollywood-based queer dating app Grindr could soon go private after the chair of the board submitted a buyout bid and stepped down from his position.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I would perform in queer nightlife spaces and throw parties in cheap warehouses.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As in his first two novels “Memorial” and “Family Meal,” Houston-based Washington weaves scenes of Americans at home and in Japan with exquisite attention both to queer culture and to emotions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“To me, this is often about fear of the other, and nobody understands that better than queer people.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When To Use

What does queer mean?

While queer has historically meant "strange" or "odd," the word is more often used as a slur against—but also since reclaimed as a self-identifier—for non-heterosexual or non-cisgender people.Content warning: this article contains offensive and sensitive content.