Synonyms for strange
- adjective
Most common
unknown unfamiliar unexplained inexplicable weird odd off-beat unaccountable
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Unfamiliar — unfamiliar, not yet part of one's experience
unfamiliar, unknown, new, inexplicable, unexplained, obscure, unheard-of, unaccustomed, undiscovered, novel, unrevealed, uninvestigated, unascertained rare, unapprehended rare
2. Odd — belonging to another country; foreign
odd, weird, unusual, peculiar, bizarre, curious, freaky, eerie, aerie US, alien, funny, quaint, rare, uncommon, remarkable, grotesque, extraordinary, exotic, anomalous, foreign, fantastical, crazy, surprising
3. Green — not familiar; unaccustomed; inexperienced
4. Distant — reserved; distant in deportment
Other
off-beat, unaccountable, yampy rare UK
Definitions
- adj. 1
Unfamiliar, not yet part of one's experience.
I moved to a strange town when I was ten.
- adj. 2
Belonging to another country; foreign.
- adj. 3
Reserved; distant in deportment.
- adj. 4
Not familiar; unaccustomed; inexperienced.
Related words
- Word family
- strangeling strangely strangeness stranger
- Phrases
- strange fish strange bird strange person
- Is a kind of
- flavor
Choose the right word
A strange thing is something hitherto unknown in fact or in cause. A singular coincidence is one the happening of which is unusual; a strange coincidence is one the cause of which is hard to explain.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- unknown Sami accidentally answered an unknown number call.
- unfamiliar How do you handle unfamiliar or spicy local foods?
- unexplained Do you have any unexplained bruising or bleeding?
- inexplicable There was something inexplicable about the story.
- weird I may be imagining it, but something smells weird.
- odd This elevator doesn't stop on odd-numbered floors.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| strange | rising | |
| unknown | steady | |
| unfamiliar | rising | |
| unexplained | steady | |
| inexplicable | rising | |
| weird | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- new1, odd1
- 4 letters
- rare1
- 5 letters
- crazy2, green1, funny2, weird1, novel2, alien3, eerie2, aerie2, yampy
- 6 letters
- exotic3, freaky2, quaint1
- 7 letters
- foreign2, unknown2, unusual4, curious3, distant2, bizarre2, obscure2
- 8 letters
- uncommon3, peculiar3, unversed
- 9 letters
- grotesque2, anomalous4
- 10 letters
- remarkable4, surprising3, unfamiliar4, unrevealed
- 11 letters
- unexplained3, fantastical, standoffish
- 12 letters
- inexplicable5, undiscovered4, unaccustomed4
- 13 letters
- extraordinary6, inexperienced5, unaccountable5, unascertained, unapprehended
- 14 letters
- uninvestigated
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (crazy2 = 2 syllables).