# weird

/ˈwɪɹd/ (US) · /wˈiəd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/weird
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. strange or unusual

adjective · CEFR B1

very strange or unusual, often in a way that is hard to understand or makes you feel uncomfortable.

For teachers: deviating from the normal or expected; suggesting the uncanny or bizarre.

- I heard a weird noise coming from the basement late last night.
- The silence in the abandoned village felt weirdly heavy, as if the buildings themselves were watching our every move.

### 3. fate or destiny

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

an old word for fate or what is meant to happen in the future.

For teachers: the principle of fate or destiny. Often encountered in literary contexts or historical studies of mythology.

- The old stories say that no man can escape his weird.
- The protagonist's struggle against his appointed weird forms the central tragic arc of the poem.

### 4. to make someone feel uneasy

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to make someone feel uncomfortable or strange, usually used with 'out'.

For teachers: to induce a feeling of unease or strangeness in someone. Almost exclusively used in the phrasal verb 'weird out'.

- The way he stared at me without saying anything really weirded me out.
- The uncanny valley effect in the animation tended to weird out the audience, making the characters feel more like mannequins than people.

Usage: Usually functions as the phrasal verb 'weird out' and takes a direct object.

## Examples

- I heard a weird noise coming from the basement.
- It feels weird to be back in my old school after ten years.
- The film's weird atmosphere is achieved through a combination of distorted camera angles and a haunting, dissonant soundtrack that keeps the audience on edge.

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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.