I. ˈstrānj adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French estrange, from Latin extraneus external, foreign, strange, from extra outside — more at extra-
1.
a. : of, relating to, coming from, characteristic of, or being a different country, region, or town : foreign , alien
the immigrant press came … under surveillance … because of the strange tongues in which most were published — Oscar Handlin
b. : not native to or naturally belonging in a place, body, or person : of external origin, kind, or character
something strange had been inhaled — X-rays & You
c. : belonging to or characteristic of an alien people or group
lacked sympathy for strange customs — Agnes Repplier
there shall be no strange gods among you — Ps 81:9 (Revised Standard Version)
2.
a. : not before known, heard, or seen : new , unfamiliar
the name … though it was strange to me, was well known to some there — R.L.Stevenson
sent to the front … to join a strange outfit under enemy fire — Gordon Harrison
b.
(1) : exciting attention, curiosity, surprise, wonder, or awe because of novelty, eccentricity, or exceptional greatness, power, or attributes : out of the ordinary : strikingly uncommon or unnatural : unusual , extraordinary , exceptional
a strange world indeed, replete with … even more weird inhabitants — F.G.Slaughter
resorts to strange shapes, odd forms without beauty — E.M.Bridge
a strange exaltation that was indefinable — Liam O'Flaherty
(2) : difficult to comprehend or believe : unaccountable
it's strange , the queer sort of people who win the lotteries — Ruth Park
a strange petulance that runs through the writings of the social engineers — W.H.Whyte
3. : discouraging familiarities : reserved , distant , cold
why did you break off our confidences and become quite strange to me — G.B.Shaw
4. : lacking skill, experience, knowledge, or acquaintance : unaccustomed , unversed
I know thee well; but in thy fortunes am unlearn'd and strange — Shakespeare
Synonyms:
singular , unique , peculiar , eccentric , erratic , odd , queer , quaint , outlandish , curious : strange , a rather general term, applies to the foreign, unnatural, inexplicable, or new or to anything unfamiliar that defies a ready explanation or commands attention by its novelty
the headlands, snow-crowned, take on an icy glaze that sharpens their strange silhouettes — American Guide Series: Maine
a strange story of a mountain in Numidia which was inhabited by a commonwealth of cats — Agnes Repplier
a strange sort of love, to be entirely free from that quality of selfishness which is frequently the chief constituent of the passion — Thomas Hardy
singular may suggest individual strangeness of or as if of something unusual or notably different from others of its group; it may be a close synonym of strange
by the singular magic of his personality — Osbert Sitwell
the taxi driver had lugged the parcel into the terminal for the woman, and then — proving himself a singular example of his species — had broken a ten-dollar bill for her when it developed that the clerk had insufficient change — E.J.Kahn
singular that a woman of that age should flush so readily — W.S.Maugham
unique may describe that which is singular (or individual) and unparalleled
a privilege unique not only in the British Army but I believe in any army there has ever been — J.S.Bradford
the unique task of setting up an observation post directly at the South Pole — Walter Sullivan
a glass conservatory full of tropical blossoms of quite unique and almost monstrous beauty — G.K.Chesterton
peculiar describes anything markedly different, unusual, or puzzling; it is sometimes a close synonym of the terms following
she had put herself in a peculiar light, namely, that of agreeing to marry when she was already supposedly married — Theodore Dreiser
the peculiar individuals are those whose behavior is odd and somewhat unpredictable — Carney Landis & Mary Bolles
eccentric implies a noticeably unusual deviation from the usual, normal, or established
what sort of burglars are they who steal silver, and then throw it into the nearest pond — it was certainly rather eccentric behavior — A. Conan Doyle
this architectural curiosity was erected in 1815 by an eccentric Irishman — American Guide Series: Virginia
erratic may suggest a wandering or deviating, sometimes capricious, from the accustomed or expected so that predictability is impossible
geniuses are such erratic people — G.B.Shaw
his moods were erratic, and nobody could be certain how he would behave at any particular moment — Thomas Hardy
odd may apply to a departure from normal tinged with the fantastic, whimsical, or paradoxical
the oddest sense of being herself invisible; unseen; unknown — Virginia Woolf
it was an odd argument that developed. Allnutt was perfectly prepared by now to throw away the life that had seemed so precious to him — C.S.Forester
it is odd that, when we whip her, Madam should love us the more — George Meredith
queer may describe the eccentric or odd slightly tinged with the questionable, dubious, reprehensible, or threatening
something queer floating by the bank. It was the body of an old woman, gutted, but not gutted enough to sink — Marjory S. Douglas
a queer, wild, half-starved, half-crazy loveliness — Katharine N. Burt
quaint may suggest a pleasing or attractive oddness usually due to some old-fashioned suggestion
one of those quaint figures, in the stately ruff, the cloak, tunic, and trunk hose of three centuries ago — Nathaniel Hawthorne
quaint little tank engines, with tall chimneys, cowcatchers and highly polished steam domes — O.S.Nock
outlandish applies to what is odd as bizarre, foreign, barbaric, or exotic
wholly independent, and withal outlandish, they have left me a memory of pigtails and gongs and fluttering red paper — John Reed
curious , often interchangeable with others in this group, may apply to what merits or invites close scrutiny or examination through its strange or singular nature
curious and suspicious circumstances had of late been discovered — Rose Macaulay
the curious expression “pure serene” — Amy Lowell
the writ of habeas corpus has had a most curious history — Edward Jenks
II. adverb
: strangely
III. adjective
: having the quantum characteristic of strangeness
strange quarks