outlandish
adjective
Did you know?
For some, the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side of the fence—it may also be very, very strange. The side-eye that skeptical sorts cast toward visitors from parts yonder is embedded in the history of the ancient word outlandish. In Old English someone described as “outlandish” came from an outland, i.e., a foreign land. Within a few hundred years, outlandish had broadened in use to describe anything unfamiliar or strange. It’s now commonly applied to things—especially things people do, wear, or say—that are strikingly out of the ordinary, or even just beyond reasonable or proper limits or standards. But lest you mistake us for equating outlandish with wrong or bad, consider this line from a review of a Dr. Seuss book once published in Time: “Its illustrations are properly outlandish, and its verses are zany and catchy enough for many rereadings.”
Cite this Entry
“Outlandish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outlandish. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.
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