Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Strikingly odd or unusual: "Weird" describes something that is very strange, peculiar, or bizarre in a way that is unsettling or hard to understand.
   • Suggesting the operation of supernatural influences: "Weird" can describe something that seems eerie, uncanny, or otherworldly, as if caused by magic or fate.

2. Noun (archaic or literary):

   • Fate personified; destiny: In older or mythological contexts, "weird" refers to fate or destiny itself.
   • Any one of the three Weird Sisters: Specifically refers to the Fates in mythology or the three witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:

  • She has a weird habit of collecting bottle caps.
  • There was a weird silence in the house after the power went out.
  • The old forest had a weird, magical atmosphere at dusk.

• Noun (archaic):

  • He felt his weird was to become a great leader. (He felt his destiny was...)
  • The three Weirds prophesied Macbeth's future.

Advanced Usage

• "the weird and the wonderful": a phrase used to describe a mixture of strange and amazing things.

  • The market was full of the weird and the wonderful.

• "weird out" (informal): to make someone feel very strange, uncomfortable, or unsettled.

  • That horror movie really weirded me out.

Variants and Related Words

• Weirdly (adverb): in a strange or unusual manner.

  • The cat was staring weirdly at the wall.

• Weirdness (noun): the quality of being weird.

  • I can't explain the weirdness of that coincidence.

• Weirdo (informal noun): a person who behaves in a very strange or unusual way.

  • Some people thought he was a weirdo for talking to plants.

Synonyms

• Strange: Not familiar or usual.
• Bizarre: Very strange or unusual, especially in a striking or shocking way.
• Eerie: Strange and frightening.
• Uncanny: Strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way.
• Odd: Different from what is usual or expected.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Weird out: (mentioned above) To cause someone to feel uneasy or strange.
  • His sudden change in personality weirded out his friends.

Related Idioms

• Weird science: Refers to scientific experiments or concepts that are strange, fictional, or morally questionable.

  • The movie was a comedy about weird science.

• Strike someone as weird: To seem strange or odd to someone.

  • His cheerful attitude in the sad situation struck me as weird.

Adjective

1. strikingly odd or unusual; some weird effect of shadow"- Bram Stoker
   • some trick of the moonlight
2. suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
   • an eldritch screech
   • the three weird sisters
   • stumps...had uncanny shapes as of monstrous creatures- John Galsworthy
   • an unearthly light
   • he could hear the unearthly scream of some curlew piercing the din- Henry Kingsley

Noun

1. fate personified; any one of the three Weird Sisters