strange

[ streynj ]

See synonyms for: strange stranger strangely 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

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French estrange, from Latin extrāneus;see extraneous

synonym study For strange

1. 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 words for strange

1	bizarre, singular, abnormal, anomalous
6	aloof

See synonyms for strange on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for strange

4-6

familiar

See antonyms for strange on Thesaurus.com

Other words from strange

strangely, adverb
un·strange, adjective
un·strange·ly, adverb
un·strange·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use strange in a sentence

It is quite strange, whether or not you’ve stopped to consider it, that Jeff Bezos has never published a book.
Jeff Bezos’s thoughts on Big Business, outer space and The Washington Post | James Ledbetter | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
It has become the strange and unstable zenith of the offseason and sometimes the entire year.
The NBA offseason is a wild ride in normal times. This year? Buckle up. | Jerry Brewer | November 19, 2020 | Washington Post
Which is strange, because usually knowing a president isn’t a bad thing.
All the president’s ‘Guys’ | Ben Terris | November 19, 2020 | Washington Post
It performed as well as could be expected while tracking my strange triathlon, and as promised, I didn’t need to tell it what activity I was doing during the workout.
This new workout watch can tell when you switch activities | Rob Verger | November 17, 2020 | Popular-Science
Well, strangely enough, it seems one group of strange ancient amphibians did.
This weird Cretaceous amphibian has the oldest-recorded ballistic tongue | Sara Kiley Watson | November 11, 2020 | Popular-Science

What follows is hysterical, painful, weird, and strangely touching—a true Festivus for the rest of us.
The Top 10 Nontraditional Christmas TV Episodes | Jace Lacob | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Strangely, the Coexist sticker itself illustrates this whole point rather nicely.
COEXIST’s Bonehead Bumper-Sticker Politics | Michael Schulson | December 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Hipgnosis founders took a quick look at the strangely-lit photos of contorted bodies….
The Golden Age of Rock Album Covers | Ted Gioia | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For Xido, spending time in war-ravaged Angola felt strangely familiar.
Death Metal Angola: Heavy Metal in War-Torn Africa | Nina Strochlic | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was a strangely shaped block, due to the area once being underwater, and he took it home with him to examine closer.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand | Nina Strochlic | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He looked strangely out of place in the dusty combat uniform.
Sense of Obligation | Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
All felt strangely as if something evil had crept into their lives, and their excitement was great.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
And a severe, embittered struggle then took place in a heart that seemed strangely divided against itself.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
"You are very sure of opposition—strangely sure, monsieur," said Garnache, looking him between the eyes.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
Her smile was strangely distant, strangely precious: she was love and tenderness incarnate; her little hands held both of his.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for strange

strange

/ (streɪndʒ) /

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
(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 quarks: strange matter; a strange star

adverb

not standard in a strange manner

Origin of strange

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

Derived forms of strange

strangely, adverb

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

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