weird
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weird¹
- /ˈwɪə(ɹ)d/ UK
- /ˈwiːə(ɹ)d/ UK
- /ˈwiɚd/ US
- /ˈwɪɚd/ US
Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)d
Where it comes from
From Middle English werde, wierde, wirde, wyrede, wurde, from Old English wyrd (“fate”), from Proto-West Germanic *wurdi, from Proto-Germanic *wurdiz, from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with Icelandic urður (“fate”). Related to Old English weorþan (“to become”); more at worth (verb).
Doublet of wyrd, a reborrowing of the original sense and spelling.
Obsolete by the 16th century in standard English. Its reintroduction is due to Shakespeare, who borrowed Middle Scots weird sisters, denoting the Fates of classical mythology, for the witches in his play Macbeth. Though originally a noun in this context, it was subsequently reinterpreted as an adjective meaning “supernatural” or “uncanny”. The sense “strange” is a development of this.
adjective weirder · weirdest · weïrd · wierd · weyard · weyward
-
Having an unusually strange character or behaviour.
There are lots of weird people in this place.
Similar: odd, oddball, peculiar, strange, wacko, 5150, bananas, barking, barking mad, fey, buggish, buggy
-
Deviating from the normal; bizarre.
It was quite weird to bump into all my ex-girlfriends on the same day.
Similar: bizarre, odd, out of the ordinary, strange, fremd, aberrant, abnormal, alien, anomalous, as queer as Dick's hatband, booky, curious
- Relating to weird fiction ("a macabre subgenre of speculative fiction"). a weird story
-
Belonging, pertaining, or related to fate, destiny, or to the Fates; able to influence fate.
Whiles I ſtood rapt in the wonder of it, came Miſſiues from the King, who all-hail'd me Thane of Cawdor, by which Title before, these weyward Sisters saluted me, and referr'd me to the comming on of time, with haile, King that ſhalt be.
Similar: fateful, foreordained, predestined, bashert, destined, doomed, fated, fatidic, predevote, preordained, weird
-
Related to witches or witchcraft; supernatural; unearthly; suggestive of witches, witchcraft or unearthliness; uncanny; unearthly.
Those sweet, low tones, that seemed like a weird incantation.
Similar: witchish, witchlike, witchly, witchy, magicianlike, magicianly, magiciany, weird, wizardlike, wizardly, wizardy
- Having super- or preternatural power. Naphtha lamps shed a weird light over a busy scene, for the work was being continued night and day. A score or so of sturdy navvies were shovelling and picking along the track.
noun weirds · weïrd · wierd · weyard · weyward
-
Fate; destiny; luck.
Step by reluctant step, he had come to know his weird. The North must be saved from her.
Similar: kismet, lot, orlay, wyrd, chance, destin, destiny, doom, fatality, fate, foredoom, foreordination
-
A prediction.
Similar: foretale, foretelling, prediction, prognostication, weird
-
A spell or charm.
Thou shalt bear thy penance lone, / In the Valley of Saint John, / And this weird shall overtake thee;— / Sleep, until a knight shall wake thee, / For feat of arms as far renowned / As warrior of the Table Round.
Similar: enchantment
- That which comes to pass; a fact.
-
The Fates.
Similar: Norns
- Weirdness. You know why it feels so good to be amongst real friends? They allow you to be your weird and love you for it. Imagine how it would feel to freely let your weird out and have the world love you for it.
verb weirds · weirding · weirded · weïrd · wierd
- To destine; doom; change by witchcraft or sorcery.
- To warn solemnly; adjure.
WEIRD²
Where it comes from
Coined by American evolutionary biologist Joseph Henrich and collaborators in 2010, referring to a bias among respondents and test subjects in psychology studies. Contrived acronym from weird.
adjective
- Acronym of Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. WEIRD societies
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: strange, uncanny, eldritch, unusual, unearthly, supernatural, wyrd, bizarro, oddly, outlandish, bizarre, funny-looking, peculiar, aberrant, weirdo, strangely
Translations
Every language
adj having an unusually strange character or behaviour
| Español | raro, cuático, anormal, bizarro |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 変 hen, 変わった kawatta, おかしい okashii |
| 中文 | 奇怪 qíguài |
| Português | estranho |
| Français | bizarre, étrange |
| Deutsch | seltsam, komisch, eigenartig, merkwürdig |
| Italiano | strano, bizzarro |
| Ελληνικά | περίεργος períergos |
| Română | straniu, ciudat |
| Русский | стра́нный stránnyj, причу́дливый pričúdlivyj, чудно́й čudnój |
| Tiếng Việt | kì quặc, kì quái, kì cục |
| العربية | عَجِيب ʕajīb, غَرِيب ḡarīb |
| עברית | מוזר muzár |
adj deviating from the normal; bizarre
| Español | raro, bizarro, cuático, extraño |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 変 hen, 変わった kawatta, おかしい okashii |
| 中文 | 奇怪 qíguài |
| Português | estranho, bizarro |
| Français | bizarre |
| Deutsch | eigenartig, merkwürdig, sonderbar, seltsam, bizarr |
| Italiano | bizzarro, bislacco, strambo |
| Русский | стра́нный stránnyj, причу́дливый pričúdlivyj, чудно́й čudnój |
| Tiếng Việt | lạ, kì lạ, kì dị |
adj having super- or preternatural power
| Español | extraño |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | geheimnisvoll, unheimlich, übernatürlich |
| Italiano | anormale, surreale, paranormale, innaturale, fuori dall'ordinario, assurdo |
| Русский | потусторо́нний potustorónnij, сверхъесте́ственный sverxʺjestéstvennyj |
Talk about this word "weird." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/weird. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. weird. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/weird "weird." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/weird.Cite this
@misc{weird_2026,
title = {weird},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/weird},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
