Meaning & use
strange
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Unusual or unexpected in a way that is hard to explain and sometimes slightly unsettling.
Grammar: Works before a noun or after be: a strange noise, the noise was strange.
Patterns
- it is strange that ...
- strange to do something
- a strange thing
There was a strange smell coming from the basement.
It feels strange to be back in my old school.
A strange silence fell over the room.
adjectivecomparable
Not known, seen or experienced before; unfamiliar.
Grammar: Often followed by to: the city was strange to her.
Patterns
- strange to someone
- a strange place
She felt lost in a strange city where she knew nobody.
The new keyboard was strange to him at first.
Children are told not to accept gifts from strange adults.
adjectiveafter a verbinformal
Feeling slightly unwell or not like yourself.
Grammar: Used with feel: I felt strange after the flight.
Patterns
- feel strange
I felt strange after standing up too fast.
He said his head felt strange all afternoon.
The medicine made her feel a bit strange.
Word forms
| comparative | stranger |
|---|---|
| superlative | strangest |
Common combinations
- strange behavior
- The dog's strange behavior worried the vet.
- strange noise
- We heard a strange noise in the attic.
- strange but true
- It is strange but true that bananas are berries.
- a strange coincidence
- By a strange coincidence, we booked the same hotel.
- feel strange
- I feel strange wearing a suit again.
Synonyms and how they differ
- odd
- Odd is milder and more neutral, noting something does not fit, while strange can carry a hint of unease.
- peculiar
- Peculiar suggests a distinctive quirk, and it can sound a little old-fashioned.
- bizarre
- Bizarre is far more extreme and means extraordinarily weird.
- unfamiliar
- Unfamiliar says only that something is not known to you, without any hint of oddness.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: strange or stranger?
strange vs stranger
Stranger is both the comparative of strange and a noun for an unknown person, so context decides which is meant.
Practice
It felt ____ to walk through my childhood home, now owned by other people.
Choose one answer.
After felt we need an adjective, so strange fits. Strangely is an adverb and strangeness is a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “strange”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.