# strangely

/ˈstɹeɪndʒɫi/ (US) · /stɹˈeɪndʒli/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/strangely
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. in an unusual way

adverb · CEFR A2

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

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

- The house was strangely quiet when I arrived home from work.
- The witness behaved strangely during the cross-examination, often pausing for several seconds before answering even the most basic questions.

### 2. surprisingly

adverb · CEFR B1

used to show that something is surprising or coincidental.

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

- Strangely, I wasn't nervous at all before the big presentation.
- Strangely enough, the two scientists reached the same conclusion independently despite working in entirely different fields of research.

### 3. wonderfully

adverb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

in a way that is very surprising or wonderful.

For teachers: in a manner that causes wonder or great surprise.

- The garden was strangely beautiful in the moonlight.
- The ancient chronicles describe a city strangely wrought of gold and marble, the likes of which no traveller had seen before.

## Examples

- The cat is acting strangely today.
- The street was strangely quiet for a Friday afternoon, with no cars or people in sight.
- Strangely, despite the heavy rain and the late hour, a small crowd had gathered outside the theater to wait for the lead actor.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.