weird
Americanadjective
-
weirder,
comparative
-
weirdest
superlative
-
Wow, that’s a weird getup.
I value our friendship, and I’m afraid if we start dating, it’ll get weird between us.
-
Informal. not functioning properly or as expected; unstable; broken.
My connection is weird so I can’t tell if they’re getting my messages or not.
The car is great except for a weird compressor that doesn't work when you run the AC at a red light.
-
involving or suggesting the supernatural; unearthly or uncanny.
a weird sound;
weird lights.
- Antonyms:
- unexceptional, ordinary, normal
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Archaic. concerned with or controlling fate or destiny.
verb phrase
adjective
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suggestive of or relating to the supernatural; eerie
-
strange or bizarre
-
archaic of or relating to fate or the Fates
noun
-
archaic
-
fate or destiny
-
one of the Fates
-
-
See dree
verb
Usage
Spelling tips for weird The word weird is hard to spell because the i goes before the e in many common words, like believe or chief, but weird doesn't follow this rule. How to spell weird: To spell weird, remember that weird is weird; it doesn't follow the classic "I before E except after C" rule. Another way to remember the order of i and e in weird is that it looks weird if you spell it wierd.
Synonym Usage
weird, eerie, unearthly, uncanny refer to that which is mysterious and apparently outside natural law. Weird can refer to that which is suggestive of the fateful intervention of supernatural influences in human affairs: the weird adventures of a group lost in the jungle. Eerie refers to that which, by suggesting the ghostly, makes one's flesh creep: an eerie moaning from a deserted house. Unearthly refers to that which seems by its nature to belong to another world: an unearthly light that preceded the storm. Uncanny refers to that which is mysterious because of its apparent defiance of the laws established by experience: an uncanny ability to recall numbers. See bizarre.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of weird
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun werd, wered, wird (northern form), Old English wyrd, weord; akin to worth 2; Middle English adjective originally attributive noun in phrase werde sisters “the Fates” (popularized as appellation of the witches in Macbeth )
Explanation
Call something weird when it’s strange, bizarre, or strikes you as odd. Putting peanut butter on pizza is weird. So is most abstract, conceptual performance art. Our definition of weird is rooted in Germanic mythology, where the “weird sisters” were three funky-looking goddesses that controlled fate and destiny: We dropped the idea of destiny and clung to how weird the weird sisters looked. In today’s slang we even use weird as a verb, as in “to weird someone out” or make them feel uneasy.
Vocabulary lists containing weird
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
After reading the weird A.I. translation, a Bengali speaker said it would make them question whether they could trust the clinic—or the doctor who handed it to them—at all.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
"It's definitely some weird cultural thing where mainstream movies are now mostly fantasy: fantasy, science fiction, horror, comic books, all different kinds of fantasy," Ethan, 69, explained.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
When the movie’s style gets weird, that’s when Fielder is most in his wheelhouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
"That's where it feels like a weird tightrope. You can't use AI too much because otherwise you're not human. But if you don't write like an AI, you may get skipped by the AI screening."
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
It’s weird running right next to Jonah Perkins.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
The monthslong rout in global government bonds is getting messier and weirder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The slower, slinkier and weirder side of Prince’s output is another reference point throughout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Everything we do that’s perceived as absurd always starts from a real place of: ‘Something like this exists, and we’re going to expand upon it and go deeper and weirder with it.’
From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2026
So truly the line between Chris and Jacob is getting weirder.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
Even so, I kept breaking needles and accidentally stabbing myself and showing up to school with too many Band-Aids on my fingers, prompting my teachers to shoot me even weirder looks than usual.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
“I love TV screens” has to be the weirdest Emmys opening ever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
He said the weirdest conspiracy theory he’d heard in the wake of the shooting was that he’s a government plant.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
He did this by causing one of the weirdest and funniest political scandals of the modern era.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Tom was somebody who really saw the joy in life. He would find humour in the weirdest places. I often think about his laugh," Parfett said.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
This was the weirdest experience of his life.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
