outré

A fashion designer presents an outré collection on the runway.

Definition

Adjective: "outré" describes something that is unconventional, eccentric, or shockingly unusual; it often carries a sense of being exaggerated or beyond the bounds of accepted taste.

Usage Examples

• (Her extremely unconventional clothing choices were surprising and attention-grabbing.)
• (The paintings were bizarrely unusual and departed from normal artistic conventions.)
• (His behaviour was inappropriately exaggerated and shocking.)

Advanced Usage

• "outré style": a manner or approach that is deliberately extravagant or odd.

  • The director's outré style of filmmaking uses bright colours and nonsensical dialogue. (The style is intentionally unconventional and extreme.)

• "outré taste": a preference for things that are considered bizarre or offensive to mainstream sensibilities.

  • His outré taste in interior design includes furniture shaped like human limbs. (His taste is shockingly unusual and goes beyond normal decor.)

Variants and Related Words

• Outréness (noun): the quality of being unconventional or shocking.
  • The outréness of the performance left the audience divided between laughter and horror. (The extreme unusualness of the performance caused mixed reactions.)

Synonyms

• Eccentric: (adjective) unconventional and slightly strange.
  • Her eccentric habits, like wearing mismatched socks, are harmless but noticeable. (Eccentric is less intense than outré.)
• Bizarre: (adjective) very strange or unusual, especially in a way that is unsettling.
  • The bizarre plot twist confused viewers. (Bizarre emphasizes strangeness, while outré emphasizes exaggeration.)
• Grotesque: (adjective) comically or repulsively ugly or distorted.
  • The grotesque masks frightened the children. (Grotesque focuses on ugliness, while outré focuses on shocking unconventionality.)
• Outlandish: (adjective) looking or sounding bizarre or unfamiliar.
  • His outlandish claims were dismissed by scientists. (Outlandish implies being foreign or absurd.)

Related Idioms

• "Beyond the pale": outside the bounds of acceptable behaviour or taste.
  • His outré jokes were considered beyond the pale at the family gathering. (The jokes were shockingly unacceptable, similar to the meaning of outré.)

Notes on Usage

• "Outré" is a loanword from French (past participle of "outrer," meaning "to exaggerate"). It is typically used in formal or literary contexts to describe art, fashion, behaviour, or ideas that deliberately break norms. It is not commonly used in everyday conversation.