weird

[ weerd ]

/ wɪərd /

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See synonyms for: weird / weirder / weirds / weirdly on Thesaurus.com

adjective, weird·er, weird·est.

strange; odd; bizarre: 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.

Archaic. concerned with or controlling fate or destiny.

noun Chiefly Scot.

fate; destiny.

the Weirds, the Fates.

Verb Phrases

weird out, Slang. to feel or cause to feel discomfort, confusion, or fear because of perceived strangeness: The cultlike admiration of some of her followers always weirded me out a little.

OTHER WORDS FOR weird

1 eccentric, peculiar, strange.

2 janky.

3 unnatural, preternatural, spectral, unearthly.

See synonyms for weird on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR weird

1 normal, ordinary, unexceptional.

See antonyms for weird on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of weird

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun werd, wered, wird (northern form), Old English wyrd, weord; akin to worth²; Middle English adjective originally attributive noun in phrase werde sisters “the Fates” (popularized as appellation of the witches in Macbeth)

synonym study for weird

3. 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. 1, 3. See bizarre.

OTHER WORDS FROM weird

weird·ly, adverbweird·ness, noun

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

How to use weird in a sentence

“It’s really weird, and nobody really knows what’s going on just yet,” says Joshua Semeter, an engineer at Boston University.
STEVE may be even less like typical auroras than scientists thought|Maria Temming|November 12, 2020|Science News
It’s the second week in November, so naturally in this weird 2020 sports calendar that means it’s time for the Masters.
Masters picks: The best bets to put on the green jacket|Matt Bonesteel|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
I think that’s more comfortable than something that’s weird, or something that they’ve never seen before.
PS5 designer: ‘When I started drawing, it was much larger’|Joe Moore|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
It’s different, when you see it, from the movies, but like, when you’re actually in there, it was kind of weird.
Notre Dame president admonishes students for coronavirus violation he also committed|Chuck Culpepper|November 9, 2020|Washington Post

“They were strange little things with weird jaw joints and neck joints,” says Evans, a coauthor on the new study.
An ancient amphibian is the oldest known animal with a slingshot tongue|Carolyn Gramling|November 5, 2020|Science News
Christopher Nolan, Interstellar “My films are always held to a weirdly high standard,” Nolan told me.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The program—weirdly—is now under the umbrella of ABC News, and is suffering from flat ratings and an aging demographic.
The Bloodiest Media Coups of 2014|Lloyd Grove|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“My films are always held to a weirdly high standard,” filmmaker Christopher Nolan told The Daily Beast.
Christopher Nolan Explains Interstellar’s Big, Hotly Debated Twist|Marlow Stern|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“My films are always held to a weirdly high standard,” filmmaker Christopher Nolan told The Daily Beast.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Breaks Down ‘Interstellar’: Black Holes, Time Dilations, and Massive Waves|Marlow Stern|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The trouble is, this policy is both overbroad and weirdly discriminatory.
Facebook’s ‘Real Name Policy’ Is a Real Drag|Jay Michaelson|September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A mocking laugh arose from somewhere in the passage and echoed loudly and weirdly.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
And the scene continues, weirdly dramatic, like some old romantic tale of feudal days.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer
They listened, and in a moment the voice came again weirdly over the water, though they could not distinguish this time the words.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
They heard the boastful war songs of their foes echoing weirdly across the plain.
Three Sioux Scouts|Elmer Russell Gregor
The moon was in the dark and the wind whistled weirdly through the trees.
The Secret of the Sundial|Mildred A. Wirt, AKA Ann Wirt

British Dictionary definitions for weird

weird

/ (wɪəd) /

adjective

suggestive of or relating to the supernatural; eerie

strange or bizarre

archaic of or relating to fate or the Fates

noun

archaic, mainly Scot

fate or destiny
one of the Fates

dree one's weird Scot See dree

verb

(tr) Scot to destine or ordain by fate; predict

Derived forms of weird

weirdly, adverbweirdness, noun

Word Origin for weird

Old English (ge) wyrd destiny; related to weorthan to become, Old Norse urthr bane, Old Saxon wurd; see worth ²

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

weird

OTHER WORDS FOR weird

OPPOSITES FOR weird

Origin of weird

synonym study for weird

OTHER WORDS FROM weird

Words related to weird

How to use weird in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for weird

Derived forms of weird

Word Origin for weird