bizarre

[ bih-zahr ]

adjective

1. markedly unusual in appearance, style, or general character and often involving incongruous or unexpected elements; outrageously or whimsically strange; odd:

   bizarre clothing; bizarre behavior.

   Synonyms: odd, strange, unusual, fantastic, grotesque, freakish, weird

bizarre

/ bɪˈzɑː /

adjective

1. odd or unusual, esp in an interesting or amusing way

Derived Forms

• biˈzarreness, noun
• biˈzarrely, adverb

Other Words From

• bi·zarrely adverb
• bi·zarreness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bizarre¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French: “strange, odd,” from Italian bizzarro “quick to anger, choleric,” then “capricious,” then “strange, weird”; further origin disputed

Word History and Origins

Origin of bizarre¹

C17: from French: from Italian bizzarro capricious, of uncertain origin

Synonym Study

Bizarre, fantastic, grotesque, weird share a sense of deviation from what is normal or expected. Bizarre means markedly unusual or extraordinarily strange, sometimes whimsically so: bizarre costumes for Mardi Gras; bizarre behavior. Fantastic suggests a wild lack of restraint, a fancifulness so extreme as to lose touch with reality: a fantastic scheme for a series of space cities. In informal use, fantastic often means simply “exceptionally good”: a fantastic meal. Grotesque implies shocking distortion or incongruity, sometimes ludicrous, more often pitiful or tragic: a grotesque mixture of human and animal features; grotesque contrast between the forced smile and sad eyes: a gnarled tree suggesting the figure of a grotesque human being. Weird refers to that which is mysterious and apparently outside natural law, hence supernatural or uncanny: the weird adventures of a group lost in the jungle; a weird and ghostly apparition. Informally, weird means “very strange”: weird and wacky costumes; weird sense of humor.

Example Sentences

In August, he unveiled a bizarre statue of Chan, apparently made of oxidised green copper and steel, by artist Daniel Arsham.

From BBC

Perhaps the most bizarre moment at Wednesday's event at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving came when Liverpool's Bellew inaudibly shouted into a microphone – which he had brought along - from the press area.

From BBC

He ended it making unwanted headlines after conceding one of the most bizarre penalties the competition will have ever seen.

From BBC

“But you also have to remember, this is a very bizarre combination of an entertainer and a businessman. He's like a comedian, man!”

From Salon

To say that this election is extraordinary or anomalous or unprecedented, while clearly true, doesn’t come close to capturing the bizarre alternate-universe quality of this entire episode in our nation’s history.

From Salon

Related Words

• comical
• curious
• extraordinary
• fantastic
• freakish
• grotesque
• ludicrous
• odd
• offbeat
• outlandish
• peculiar
• ridiculous
• unusual
• weird