strange

American  

[streynj] / streɪndʒ /

adjective

stranger, strangest

1. unusual, extraordinary, or curious; odd; queer.

   a strange remark to make.

   Synonyms:

   anomalous, abnormal, singular, bizarre

2. estranged, alienated, etc., as a result of being out of one's natural environment.

   I felt strange as I walked through the crowded marketplace.

3. situated, belonging, or coming from outside of one's own locality; foreign.

   to move to a strange place; strange religions.

4. outside of one's previous experience; hitherto unknown; unfamiliar.

   strange faces; strange customs.

   Antonyms:

   familiar

5. unaccustomed to or inexperienced in; unacquainted (usually followed byto ).

   I'm strange to this part of the job.

   Antonyms:

   familiar

6. distant or reserved; shy.

   Synonyms:

   aloof

   Antonyms:

   familiar

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adverb

1. in a strange manner.

strange British  

/ streɪndʒ /

adjective

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

2. not known, seen, or experienced before; unfamiliar

   a strange land

3. not easily explained

   a strange phenomenon

4. (usually foll by to) inexperienced (in) or unaccustomed (to)

   strange to a task

5. not of one's own kind, locality, etc; alien; foreign

6. shy; distant; reserved

7. it is unusual or surprising that

8. physics

   1. denoting a particular flavour of quark

   2. denoting or relating to a hypothetical form of matter composed of such quarks

      strange matter

      a strange star

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adverb

1. not_standard in a strange manner

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

And there are plenty of hybrid creatures, apocalyptic nightmares, strange juxtapositions and drooping abnormalities of the melting-watch variety.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Traveling alone used to feel strange, but now it feels like freedom,” said Chen Jiayun, a 33-year-old marketing executive in Shanghai who took three solo trips this year.

From Barron's

“There seems to be this strange meeting of minds between the Americans and Russians over what Europe should look like,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But over his eight years as a chef, Tommy has had some strange requests.

From BBC

Taken together, these three features point to a conclusion that can feel strange if you are used to classical computing ideas.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• astonishing
• bizarre
• curious
• different
• extraordinary
• fantastic
• funny
• new
• odd
• offbeat
• outlandish
• peculiar
• rare
• remarkable
• unusual
• weird
• wonderful