strange

[ streynj ]

adjective

, strang·er, strang·est.

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 by to ):

   I'm strange to this part of the job.

   Antonyms: familiar

6. distant or reserved; shy.

   Synonyms: aloof

   Antonyms: familiar

adverb

1. in a strange manner.

strange

/ 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. strange to say
   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

      a strange star

      strange matter

adverb

1. not_standard.
   in a strange manner

Derived Forms

• ˈstrangely, adverb

Other Words From

• strangely adverb
• un·strange adjective
• un·strangely adverb
• un·strangeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of strange¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of strange¹

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

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

The company has a history of strange marketing gimmicks.

From Slate

If true, the ban on legalization talk would be strange.

From Salon

Somewhere in the world, there are a whole lot of clips me and Pharrell making very strange faces!

From BBC

And for players and fans, these two games represent a strange 'limbo' period before new head coach Thomas Tuchel takes over in January.

From BBC

He has a similar aw-shucks, genial manner — easy to laugh and quick to offer a cup of tea — that belies the strange hive of imagery buzzing inside his head.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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