queer

American  

[kweer] / kwɪər /

adjective

queerer, queerest

1. strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint; unusually different; singular.

   The court has a queer notion of justice.

   Synonyms:

   weird, eccentric, freakish, curious, unconventional

   Antonyms:

   ordinary

2. 1. Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. (of a person) gay or lesbian.

   2. noting or relating to a sexual orientation or gender identity that falls outside the heterosexual mainstream or the gender binary.

3. of a questionable nature or character; suspicious; shady.

   Something queer about the language of the prospectus kept investors away.

4. not feeling physically right or well; giddy, faint, or qualmish.

   If you feel queer, you should lie down for a bit.

5. mentally unbalanced or deranged.

6. Slang. bad, worthless, or counterfeit.

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verb (used with object)

1. to spoil; ruin.

2. to put (a person) in a hopeless or disadvantageous situation as to success, favor, etc.

3. to jeopardize.

4. to interpret, analyze, or reconstruct (a narrative) based on the perspectives of people whose experiences fall outside normative ideas of gender and sexuality, especially in academic research and criticism: Her pioneering research queered the portrayal of medical professionals by emphasizing the work of LGBTQ+ doctors.

   This film queers the Western genre by introducing a transgender lead.

   Her pioneering research queered the portrayal of medical professionals by emphasizing the work of LGBTQ+ doctors.

noun

1. Often Disparaging and Offensive. (The noun “a queer” is often used with disparaging intent and considered offensive even among those who approve of the corresponding adjective “queer.” The plural “queers” is less likely to offend than the singular “a queer.”)

   1. a gay or lesbian person.

   2. a person whose sexual orientation or gender identity falls outside the heterosexual mainstream or the gender binary.

2. Slang. counterfeit money.

idioms

1. queer the pitch, to spoil the chances of success.

queer British  

/ kwɪə /

adjective

1. differing from the normal or usual in a way regarded as odd or strange

2. suspicious, dubious, or shady

3. faint, giddy, or queasy

4. informal homosexual

5. informal odd or unbalanced mentally; eccentric or slightly mad

6. slang worthless or counterfeit

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noun

1. informal a homosexual, usually a male

verb

1. to spoil or thwart (esp in the phrase queer someone's pitch )

2. to put in a difficult or dangerous position

Sensitive Note

Historically, queer has meant “strange” in a way that departs from convention. Since the early 20th century, it has also had the meaning “gay or lesbian,” and for much of the time has been used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. Since the 1980s, queer has increasingly been adopted especially among younger members of the gay and lesbian community as a positive term of self-reference. However, the term is not universally accepted within the LGBT community, and might still be viewed by some as degrading. Queer is also a term used by activists and academics: queer politics; scholars of queer literature. The term has more recently come to include any person whose sexuality or gender identity falls outside the heterosexual norm or the gender binary. A person identifying as queer can be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, genderqueer, gender-fluid, etc., and the use of queer allows for the expression of LGBTQ community membership without requiring any specific label. More broadly, within academia, “to queer” can even refer to the act of interpreting a text using any non-normative or marginalized perspective. This sense plays with the dual meaning of queer as referring to people whose genders and sexualities have been marginalized, and as referring to something that is unusual or unconventional. In this sense, introducing the perspectives of people of color or people with disabilities would also be considered queering a text in literary or cultural criticism.

Usage

What does queer mean? While queer has historically meant "strange" or "odd," the word is more often used as a slur against—but also since reclaimed as a self-identifier—for non-heterosexual or non-cisgender people. Content warning: this article contains offensive and sensitive content.

Related Words

See strange.

Other Word Forms

• queerish adjective
• queerly adverb
• queerness noun

Etymology

Origin of queer

First recorded in 1500–10; perhaps from German quer “oblique, cross, adverse”

Explanation

The adjective queer means "unusual" or "peculiar," or sometimes "suspicious." The main character in a creepy novel might decide to investigate the queer noises she hears coming from the attic in the middle of the night. Uh oh. Like many words, queer has many meanings. One is "odd," as in "I feel kind of queer today." In the 20th century, queer also began to be used as a slur for members of the LGBT community; although use of the word is still controversial today, it has been widely reclaimed as a positive or neutral term. Many universities have Queer Studies programs, for instance. As a verb, queer can mean "to endanger or expose to risk", and also "to hinder, thwart, foil, or baffle."

Example Sentences

It’s here that I notice something fascinating: A number of the people replying to Choudhury’s posts indicate that they’re queer in their profiles.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

As Roy writes, "The LGBTQ+ movement was young in India. Hungry for a queer history, it seemed to have seized on Chapal Bhaduri to be its fairy godmother."

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

The most important thing I learned at Columbia was this: I am gay, but I am not queer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

As showrunner Jess Brownell previously told The Times, she had always known she wanted to tell a queer love story in the show.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

In their pages, spirits were a crazy idea from upstate, like abolition or women’s equality: “There are many queer people and queer things in Rochester.”

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock