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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"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:
“They were saying these really strange things like, ‘My Ph.D. is useless,’” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Instagram did something bold and brave this week: It unveiled a new wordmark for the first time, stepping away from its signature cursive to a new and strange part-modern, part-script font.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
A decades-old puzzle in nuclear physics has centered on a strange question: why do some atomic nuclei release more low-energy gamma rays than scientists expect?
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
Rhys: The accent is strange because I think in one way such an enormous part of my head is always working on the next sound to come out of my mouth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
It was a strange demand, but nothing peeved Clare more than when he was trying to usher a wandering soul and they bucked against his every little request.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Brown's is no stranger to the country and hoped to raise £5,000 for three charities - MacMillan Cancer Support, St Luke's Hospice and Children's Hospice South West.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
“Frozen III,” meanwhile, will see Anna and Kristoff finally get married before the sisters meet a mysterious stranger who also wields ice magic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
A strange trip, but perhaps no stranger than living atop a pillar for 36 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Self Esteem, known for her hit tracks Focus Is Power and I Do This All The Time, is no stranger to commanding both the stage and screen.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Which means that the stranger is probably a caribou.”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Some reports focused on the strangest claims by Arday of his personal achievements, including that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days, some partly with a fracture in his leg.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Which may be the strangest feature of this new age of food vigilance.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Rhiannon Quinche described the eclipse as "the strangest thing ever"
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Even the strangest of things happen for a reason, like when a life-size Celine Dion cutout goes missing and later reappears.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
He was just about to tell her, “I’m thinking of Malaya of the Crocodiles, because there’s a girl at school named Valencia who reminds me of her,” when the strangest thing happened: Valencia appeared.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
