strange

[ streynj ]

/ streɪndʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR strange ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, strang·er, strang·est.

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.

unaccustomed to or inexperienced in; unacquainted (usually followed by to): I'm strange to this part of the job.

distant or reserved; shy.

adverb

in a strange manner.

Nearby words

strand line, strand wolf, stranded, strandloper, strandwolf, strange, strange attractor, strange bedfellows, strange interlude, strange matter, strange particle

Origin of strange

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French estrange < Latin extrāneus; see extraneous

SYNONYMS FOR strange

1 bizarre, singular, abnormal, anomalous. 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.

6 aloof.

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ANTONYMS FOR strange

4–6 familiar.

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Related forms

strange·ly, adverbun·strange, adjectiveun·strange·ly, adverbun·strange·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for strange

In front of this strange structure are two blank-faced, well-dressed models showing off the latest in European minimalism.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another year, stories about the strange new face of an A-list actress might draw chortles and cackles.
Renée Zellweger Got a New Face—and Everyone Had An Opinion About It|Kevin O’Keeffe|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like, OK, to be around them when we were away from work is great, but being at work was still kind of strange for me.
How A Company’s Support of Gay Employees Helped One of Them To Come Out||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But, strange to say, Cocker never got inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We ascended a very darksome flight of stairs, and a door was opened by a strange little man.
Hawthorne and His Circle|Julian Hawthorne
He was moving away himself, when his eyes lit upon a strange sight, and one which sent a tingling through his skin.
The White Company|Arthur Conan Doyle
And with this double collapse had come a strange irresistible resurgence of early feelings and forgotten superstitions.
Ghetto Tragedies|Israel Zangwill
The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops.
The Mad King|Edgar Rice Burroughs
The ancient city presented a strange and desolate appearance on the succeeding morning, in the neighbourhood of the public square.
The Cavaliers of Virginia, vol. 1 of 2|William A. Caruthers

British Dictionary definitions for strange

strange

/ (streɪndʒ) /

adjective

odd, unusual, or extraordinary in appearance, effect, manner, etc; peculiar

not known, seen, or experienced before; unfamiliara strange land

not easily explaineda strange phenomenon

(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

strange to say 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 quarksstrange matter; a strange star

adverb

not standard in a strange manner

Derived Forms

strangely, adverb

Word Origin for strange

C13: from Old French estrange, from Latin extrāneus foreign; see extraneous

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