Here you will learn 10 ways to say ‘strange’ in English. This post is particularly useful to you if you are preparing for English proficiency tests and would like to dramatically improve your spoken and written English vocabulary.
I always try to encourage my students to find synonyms so that they don’t repeat the same word over and over again.
It’s really important to demonstrate to the examiner that you can use alternatives and that you have a broader and wider English vocabulary.
Harry
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10 ways to say strange in english
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Hi there, this is Harry and welcome to my English learning podcast Speak Better English with Harry where I try to help you to improve your English language so that you can speak English in a better way.
Today, we’re going to focus on English vocabulary. We’re going to look at the word ‘strange’ and different ways to say ‘strange’ in English.
As always, I’ll give you plenty of examples.
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weird /wɪəd/
Often we use weird when we’re talking about a person.
For example, somebody with a top hat and a long bushy beard wearing a pink jacket and yellow trousers and a big long scarf around his neck. You might say,
He is weird.
That’s weird.
Or if you are looking for your car keys and you are absolutely certain that you left them on the hall table.
But when you go looking for them in that place, you can’t find them
Oh, that’s weird, I left them here last night.
bizarre /bɪˈzɑːr/
When something is bizarre it’s quite unusual.
Yesterday I got a phone call from somebody I didn’t know, and they were interested in buying my car. That was bizarre.
Things that are bizarre happen unusually. Something that happens when we least expect it, and it’s very different than we thought things would go.
ways to say strange in english
odd
We use this word in a couple of different ways.
We can have an odd number.
1,3,5,7, 9 are odd numbers.
When we’re talking about strange, odd again is different, unusual.
A person can be a little odd.
My cousin is a little odd. He doesn’t meet with people so often, he spends a lot of time at home, he collects spiders. He’s a little odd, but he’s very very pleasant.
quirky /ˈkwɜː.ki/
When something is quirky, it’s certainly different, it’s not usual and it’s not what you would imagine.
If we’re looking to buy something as a gift, we might be looking for something a little unusual.
I thought I’d get them something a little quirky because we’re always buying the same bottle of wine.
When you go into the shop, you’re looking for something a little more curious and then you see something hanging on the wall, a very strange and unusual picture.
That’s quirky, it’s just what I’m looking for! It’s not something they will expect to get.
10 ways to say strange in english
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10 ways to say strange in english
And the next word is
eccentric /ɪkˈsen.trɪk/
We often use eccentric to describe people.
An eccentric millionaire is somebody who made a lot of money in the business many many years ago and now he’s a little bit of a recluse. They might be eccentric in the way they dress.
They might be eccentric in the way they decorate their home.
They might be eccentric in the type of car they drive.
Adam likes wearing fluffy hats and shorts all the time. He is quite eccentric.
surreal
When something is surreal, it’s almost like you’re in a dream.
It’s something that you didn’t expect, something that you haven’t really thought of. Something unnatural, or somewhat weird.
I was driving my car, suddenly this dense fog descended on the town, and there was a sort of light shining in the distance. It was some phenomenal weather experience, it was a little bit surreal.
10 ways to say strange in english
The next expression I have is
off-the-wall
Something that is very different, something outside the box.
It was an off-the-wall decision to include a rare delicacy in our Christmas hamper last year.
If somebody’s acting very strange and they’re behaving in a different way they normally behave, then, of course, you might say
He’s full of bright but somewhat strange ideas. He’s a little off-the-wall, but he gets the job done.
We can also use the word
funny
It’s not funny in an amusing or hilarious way, but in a peculiar way.
That’s funny. I’m sure I left it here beside the car keys.
Then last the word
peculiar /pɪˈkjuː.li.ər/
This word is a little bit more formal than some of the other words.
‘Peculiar’ means unusual. Something that is opposite to normal.
Somebody can be acting in a peculiar way.
If you notice anyone acting in a peculiar way inside the premises, please notify the on-duty staff.
So let me give you the words again. We’re talking about different ways to say strange in English.
- weird
- bizarre
- odd
- quirky
- eccentric
- surreal
- off-the-wall
- funny
- peculiar
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