ENGLISH
REFERENCE

high strangeness

idiom
Meaning

A quality of being peculiar, bizarre, utterly absurd.


Origin

disputed origin

Introduced by the astronomer Dr. J. Allen Hynek in the 1970s.

Examples
SIMPLE

The strange lights in the sky had a sense of high strangeness.

CONTEXTUAL

The detective felt a sense of high strangeness when he entered the room and found all the furniture bolted to the ceiling.

COMPLEX

The witness struggled to describe the high strangeness of the encounter, noting that the laws of physics seemed to dissolve as the object vanished into thin air.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    come hell or high water

    Regardless of the hardships; no matter what difficulties may arise.

  2. 02

    friends in high places

    Friends who have authority or influence and who can ensure that one's interests will be protected or furthered.

  3. 03

    get high

    To intoxicate oneself with drugs or other substances.

  4. 04

    get off one's high horse

    To stop acting in an imperious, overbearing or bossy manner.

  5. 05

    hell or high water

    Highly adverse circumstances; acts of God.

  6. 06

    high and dry

    Abandoned, stranded, helpless.

  7. 07

    high and low

    Everywhere; all over the place.

  8. 08

    high and mighty

    Overbearingly arrogant; ostentatiously self-important or self-aggrandizing.

Last updated April 17, 2026