strange

[streynj]

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.

Origin of strange

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

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

Synonyms for strange

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR strange ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Antonyms for strange

4–6. familiar.

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

Related Words for strange

funny, unusual, rare, remarkable, fantastic, different, outlandish, peculiar, astonishing, extraordinary, wonderful, offbeat, new, curious, weird, odd, bizarre, alien, unfamiliar, romantic

Examples from the Web for strange

Contemporary Examples of 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
The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality
E.J. Graff
December 30, 2014
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
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
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

Historical Examples of strange

Suddenly his countenance shone with a strange and impressive beauty.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Others thought this strange, but there was nothing strange about it to her.
Harriet, The Moses of Her People
Sarah H. Bradford
Strange, by what slender threads our lives are knitted to each other!
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Would he be strong or weak; and what would be weakness, and what strength, in a position so strange?
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
The steps suggested to meet this impending calamity were strange enough.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook

British Dictionary definitions for strange

strange

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 Formsstrangely, 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

Word Origin and History for strange

adj.

late 13c., "from elsewhere, foreign, unknown, unfamiliar," from Old French estrange (French étrange) "foreign, alien," from Latin extraneus "foreign, external," from extra "outside of" (see extra). Sense of "queer, surprising" is attested from late 14c. Stranger, attested from late 14c., never picked up the secondary sense of the adjective. As a form of address to an unknown person, it is recorded from 1817, American English rural colloquial. Meaning "one who has stopped visiting" is recorded from 1520s.