Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality or state of being strange, odd, or peculiar: Refers to something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected, often in a way that is puzzling or unconventional.
   • A dated and often offensive term for homosexuality: Historically used to denote a sexual orientation involving attraction to persons of the same sex. This usage is now considered outdated and pejorative.

Usage Examples

• Noun (strangeness):
  • The queerness of the old house's layout made it difficult to navigate.
  • There was a certain queerness to his manner that made people uneasy.
• Noun (dated/offensive usage):
  • In some older texts, "queerness" was used as a clinical term, which is now recognized as harmful.

Advanced Usage

• "A touch of queerness": A slight or noticeable element of strangeness.
  • The painting had a touch of queerness that fascinated the critics.
• In critical theory: Within Queer Theory, the term is reclaimed and re-examined to challenge normative categories of identity, though the noun form "queerness" itself is less commonly used in this active, reclaimed sense than the adjective "queer."

Variants and Related Words

• Queer (adj/n/v): The root adjective meaning strange or odd; also a reclaimed identity term for non-heterosexual or non-cisgender people. As a verb, it can mean to spoil or interfere with.
• Queerly (adv): In a strange or odd manner.

Synonyms

• Oddity: The quality of being strange or peculiar.
• Strangeness: The state of being unfamiliar or unusual.
• Peculiarity: An odd or unusual feature or habit.
• Eccentricity: The quality of being unconventional and slightly strange.

Antonyms

• Normality: The condition of being usual, typical, or expected.
• Conventionality: Conformity to conventional practices and attitudes.
• Ordinariness: The quality of being normal or commonplace.

Important Note on Usage

The use of "queerness" to refer to sexual orientation is largely historical and is considered offensive in contemporary language. The adjective "queer" has been widely reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a positive identity term, but the noun "queerness" in this context should be used with extreme caution and awareness of its hurtful history. When describing the quality of being strange, it is a standard, though somewhat literary, term.

Noun

1. a sexual attraction to (or sexual relations with) persons of the same sex
2. a strange attitude or habit