What does "strangely" mean?

1. (in an unusual way) in a way that is unusual, unexpected, or hard to explain. 2. (surprisingly) used to show that something is surprising or coincidental. 3. (wonderfully) in a way that is very surprising or wonderful.

strangely

adv.

US //ˈstɹeɪndʒɫi// UK //stɹˈeɪndʒli// strange·ly

1 in an unusual way (adv.)
A2 Elementary

in a way that is unusual, unexpected, or hard to explain.

in a manner that is unusual, peculiar, or difficult to understand.

Example

The house was strangely quiet when I arrived home from work.

Example

The witness behaved strangely during the cross-examination, often pausing for several seconds before answering even the most basic questions.
- oddly
- peculiarly
- unusually
- normally
- ordinarily
2 surprisingly (adv.)
B1 Intermediate

used to show that something is surprising or coincidental.

used as a sentence adverb to indicate that the following statement is surprising or coincidental.

Example

Strangely, I wasn't nervous at all before the big presentation.

Example

Strangely enough, the two scientists reached the same conclusion independently despite working in entirely different fields of research.
- oddly enough
- curiously
- predictably

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3 wonderfully (adv.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic Literary

in a way that is very surprising or wonderful.

in a manner that causes wonder or great surprise.

Example

The garden was strangely beautiful in the moonlight.

Example

The ancient chronicles describe a city strangely wrought of gold and marble, the likes of which no traveller had seen before.
- wonderfully
- marvellously

Origin

From Middle English straungely (“strangely, aloofly, intricately”); equivalent to strange + -ly.