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

It was suggested it had been conducted by the UK to be able to blame Russia "as part of a sort of bizarre and surreptitious intelligence operation of some variety", he added.

From BBC

Typical psychotic-like experiences include perceptual distortions and hallucinations, suspicious paranoid thinking, delusions and bizarre, unusual thoughts.

From Science Daily

Tortured and accused of bizarre espionage plots, he was ultimately executed by firing squad.

From Salon

Karin is not your typical sweet anime girl, and the narrative is bizarre, unexpected and hilarious.

From Los Angeles Times

Coull made news across the world in February after photos of his bizarre and lacklustre Wonka event, costing £35 ticket, went viral on social media.

From BBC

Related Words

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