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Synonyms

outlandish

American  
[out-lan-dish] / aʊtˈlæn dɪʃ /

adjective

  1. freakishly or grotesquely strange or odd, as appearance, dress, objects, ideas, or practices; bizarre.

    outlandish clothes; outlandish questions.
    Synonyms:
    curious, eccentric, queer, peculiar

  2. having a foreign appearance.

  3. remote from civilized areas; out-of the-way.

    an outlandish settlement.
    Synonyms:
    isolated, backwoods

  4. Archaic. foreign; alien.

outlandish British  
/ aʊtˈlændɪʃ /

adjective

  1. grotesquely unconventional in appearance, habits, etc

  2. archaic foreign

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • outlandishly adverb
  • outlandishness noun

Etymology

Origin of outlandish

before 1000; Middle English; Old English ūtlendisc. See outland, -ish 1

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.

One of the more outlandish proposed solutions to climate change is to install orbiting fleets of mirrored satellites that can deflect sunlight, so cooling the planet.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Some more outlandish estimates suggest they will eclipse the $2billion haul of Taylor Swift's Eras tour.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

I miss a place that did not make me feel ashamed about my most outlandish yearnings and dreams.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

If MSG Sports splits up, a possible scenario is that an outside investor buys a minority stake in one of the team owners at some outlandish premium and injects fresh capital.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

The man behind the camera was confounded by their outlandish names.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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.