strange Hear it!

strange Definition

strange (strānj)

adjective strang′er, strang′·est

  1. of another place or locality; foreign; alien
  2. not previously known, seen, heard, or experienced; unfamiliar
  3. quite unusual or uncommon; extraordinary
  4. queer; peculiar; odd
  5. Archaic reserved, distant, or cold in manner
  6. lacking experience; unaccustomed strange to the job

Etymology: ME < OFr estrange < L extraneus, extraneous

adverb strang′er, strang′·est

in a strange manner

strange Related Forms

strange′ly adverb

strange Synonyms

strange

modif.

  1. Little known

    foreign, external, exotic, outside, outlandish, detached, apart, faraway, remote, alien, unexplored, isolated, unrelated, irrelevant; see also unfamiliar 2, unknown 1, 2, 3, unnatural 1.

    Antonyms familiar*, present*, close. *

  2. Not acquainted

    ignorant of, without knowledge of, uninformed about, unfamiliar, unheard of, newfangled, new, not versed in, unaccustomed to, novel.

    Antonyms old*, prevailing*, current. *

  3. Unusual

    unusual, peculiar, odd, queer, exceptional, rare, uncommon, outlandish; see also unusual 1, 2.

strange, the term of broadest application here, refers to that which is unfamiliar, as because of being uncommon, unknown, or new a strange voice, idea, device, etc.; peculiar applies either to that which puzzles or to that which has unique qualities a peculiar smell, pattern, etc.; behavior peculiar to beavers; odd suggests that which differs from the ordinary or conventional, sometimes to the point of being bizarre offended by his odd behavior; queer emphasizes an element of eccentricity, abnormality, or suspicion a queer look on her face; quaint suggests an oddness, esp. an antique quality, that is pleasing or appealing a quaint costume; outlandish suggests an oddness that is decidedly, often excessively, fantastic or bizarre an outlandish remark

strange Usage Examples

Infinitive complement

  • think: At first it was strange to think of my dad having epilepsy.
  • hear: It's strange then to hear her talk about her husband's chronic alcoholism.

Modifying Another Word

  • rather: We found the name ' Wapping ' by the pond rather strange.
  • somewhat: All somewhat strange when you consider this is the earlier made of the two films.
  • very: The old man then did a very strange thing.
  • slightly: Due to the checkout system, a charge of 42 pence postage will be made - hence the slightly strange prices!

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • seem: Perhaps with these additions it would be too much to manage, still it does seem a bit strange.
  • notice: Others just try to keep out of sight and hope no-one will notice anything strange How are you doing?

Modifies a noun

  • coincidence: By a strange coincidence, the GLA seems to be involved in all these tasks.
  • creature: The Blue Planet takes a journey in to the abyss where there are strange creatures straight out of Alien.
  • attractor: These include strange attractors, fractals, and genetic algorithms.
  • happening: Many strange happenings have been witnessed in recent years.
  • noise: The Lady Awoken by strange noises, he saw Isabel being helped down a rope ladder, by a figure in Highland costume.
  • phenomenon: In the early 1980s, US doctors began to notice a strange phenomenon.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Having TV cameras right next to us seemed quite strange!
  • appear: So difference is foreshortened by rapid communication, and the world appears less strange.
  • feel: I've been feeling really strange about the whole thing anyway.
  • sound: This sounds very strange to me, why would a drink with 5 % alcohol need preservatives?
  • look: The grocer's shop would look strange to people who are used to shopping today.
  • smell: The corridor smelled strange, it was the stench of the charnel house combined with the tang of powerful magic.