strange
Americanadjective
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unusual, extraordinary, or curious; odd; queer.
a strange remark to make.
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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
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odd, unusual, or extraordinary in appearance, effect, manner, etc; peculiar
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not known, seen, or experienced before; unfamiliar
a strange land
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not easily explained
a strange phenomenon
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(usually foll by to) inexperienced (in) or unaccustomed (to)
strange to a task
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not of one's own kind, locality, etc; alien; foreign
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shy; distant; reserved
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it is unusual or surprising that
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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
Related Words
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
- strangely adverb
- unstrange adjective
- unstrangely adverb
- unstrangeness noun
Etymology
Origin of strange
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French estrange, from Latin extrāneus; extraneous
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.
Its strange characteristics make it difficult to classify, sitting somewhere between what astronomers typically consider a planet and a star.
From Science Daily
By adding in new characters while adhering to the original story, the author creates something new, strange and thrilling.
From Los Angeles Times
I was spared, but nobody in Los Angeles was spared, and it wasn’t until halfway through the year that I noticed a consistent light from the strangest source.
From Los Angeles Times
It felt moody and domestic and a little strange, which was more or less how I wanted to feel at the time.
From Salon
They are a strange side because they have been playing quite well but not really getting results.
From BBC
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.
