strange
Americanadjective
-
stranger,
comparative
-
strangest
superlative
-
unusual, extraordinary, or curious; odd; queer.
a strange remark to make.
-
estranged, alienated, etc., as a result of being out of one's natural environment.
I felt strange as I walked through the crowded marketplace.
-
situated, belonging, or coming from outside of one's own locality; foreign.
to move to a strange place; strange religions.
-
outside of one's previous experience; hitherto unknown; unfamiliar.
strange faces; strange customs.
- Antonyms:
- familiar
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unaccustomed to or inexperienced in; unacquainted (usually followed byto ).
I'm strange to this part of the job.
- Antonyms:
- familiar
-
distant or reserved; shy.
- Synonyms:
- aloof
- Antonyms:
- familiar
adverb
adjective
-
odd, unusual, or extraordinary in appearance, effect, manner, etc; peculiar
-
not known, seen, or experienced before; unfamiliar
a strange land
-
not easily explained
a strange phenomenon
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(usually foll by to) inexperienced (in) or unaccustomed (to)
strange to a task
-
not of one's own kind, locality, etc; alien; foreign
-
shy; distant; reserved
-
it is unusual or surprising that
-
physics
-
denoting a particular flavour of quark
-
denoting or relating to a hypothetical form of matter composed of such quarks
strange matter
a strange star
-
adverb
Synonym Usage
Strange, peculiar, odd, queer refer to that which is out of the ordinary. Strange implies that the thing or its cause is unknown or unexplained; it is unfamiliar and unusual: a strange expression. That which is peculiar mystifies, or exhibits qualities not shared by others: peculiar behavior. That which is odd is irregular or unconventional, and sometimes approaches the bizarre: an odd custom. Queer sometimes adds to odd the suggestion of something abnormal and eccentric: queer in the head.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of strange
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French estrange, from Latin extrāneus; see extraneous
Explanation
Anything that is unusual or out of the ordinary can be described as strange, like the strange sight of an ice cream truck pulling up in front of your school and your principal skipping over to it. The adjective strange comes from Latin word extraneus, meaning “foreign” or “external.” If someone approaches you speaking with a strange accent, it means you can't identify where the person is from, not that he or she is odd or weird — the newer meaning of strange. But remember, it once was a strange sight to see a person talking on a cell phone; when the unknown becomes known, it is no longer strange.
Vocabulary lists containing strange
Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
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"Growing Together" and "When I Grow Up"
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"Song: Go and catch a falling star" by John Donne
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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.
See Examples For:
These arrangements reveal the increasingly strange economics of the drought.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
It’s in this strange almost-loft space on 2nd Street downtown, and I’ve been there three times since early July.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
I found Lisandro Martinez's outburst about Manchester United's recruitment very strange, especially after his mistake that cost his side victory over Tottenham.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
With that strange mental image firmly embedded in my brain, it’s time for me to dip out.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
Remembered the strange roving eyes, the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach that was more than fever.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Every night as she fell asleep, Varsha would watch a stranger on the internet diarising what they'd consumed that day.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK?”
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
Sramek, 39 years old, is no stranger to big deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Documentarian Alex Gibney is no stranger to dissections of corrupting power — from his feature dives into Enron, Elizabeth Holmes and Scientology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The idea of talking to a random stranger makes me nervous, but it does seem like the safest option.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Still, this is probably the strangest rebrand we’ve seen so far, partly because there was no public impetus for such a visible change.
From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026
Quantum entanglement captures one of the strangest differences between everyday physics and the quantum world.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026
Herzog’s adventurous spirit has led him to explore the furthest reaches of the globe, but also inward to map the strangest recesses of the heart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
It was the strangest kind of farewell; more sadness than satisfaction, more 'thanks for the memories' than 'never darken our door again'.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The last set of vehicles chugged around the poster perimeter, and their black frames flashed the strangest oddities.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
