bizarre

adjective

bə-ˈzär How to pronounce bizarre (audio)
Definition of bizarrenext
1
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality a bizarre invention that no one could figure out how to use

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strange
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion he gave a bizarre excuse for getting home so late

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bizarre different from other adjectives like it?

The words fantastic and grotesque are common synonyms of bizarre. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

When can fantastic be used instead of bizarre?

While the synonyms fantastic and bizarre are close in meaning, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

When might grotesque be a better fit than bizarre?

Although the words grotesque and bizarre have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral
though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bizarre About a decade ago, long before its Veo3 AI video generation tool could produce bizarre footage of Will Smith eating spaghetti, Google decided developing AI checking tools was folly. — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 This was especially true for Zacharia, who is now facing widespread speculation over her claim of being a lawyer after her bizarre answer to a very basic question about her law background. — Finya Swai, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026 But that headline was just the beginning of a bizarre, three-year legal saga that remains ongoing. — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026 As outlined in Emperor of Nothing, the bizarre chance encounter occurred June 12, 1994 at the posh Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, which David joined following the success of Seinfeld. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bizarre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bizarre
  1. absurd
  2. strange
  3. insane
  4. weird
  5. foolish
  6. odd
  7. unreal
  8. funny
Adjective
  • As insufferable and absurd as that was, Murphy continued in the middle of the 2026 season, acting like his team's biggest division rival had also not heard of his players who were currently in first place.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But its ludicrous potential price tag isn’t the only absurd thing.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of absurd
Adjective
  • After Orson’s reading from the novel, the broadcast cuts in on a weather report that is then followed by a dance music concert, but the smooth tango music is interrupted by breaking news of strange explosions on Mars.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • However, a strange light phenomenon and the arrival of her physicist ex-husband pull her back into the scientific world.
    — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of strange
Adjective
  • Many have told me that Veronica Beard has copied more small brands, this is insane.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Has everyone made it through an insane weekend of college football with their sanity intact?
    — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of insane
Adjective
  • By Sean McGowan THURSDAY PUZZLE — Welcome back to Thursday, the day of the week where the crossword gets weirder and the wordplay gets wilder.
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Astronomers were left with the troublesome task of pairing up two weird objects, smushing them together and hoping to get Lucifer as a result.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of weird
Adjective
  • The descent into foolish and self-destructive groupthink provides the drama.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But Ohtani also struck out three times Thursday — made to look foolish in a much-too-familiar way.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of foolish
Adjective
  • Those visual gags feel like an odd fit for the material; Ishiguro is known more for low-grade existential sadness than slapstick.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026
  • McKee has had a bit of an odd season starting from training camp when the Eagles brought in veteran Andy Dalton to challenge for the backup job.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of odd
Adjective
  • As on television, Seyfried nails Holmes’s wide eyes, unsteady mannerisms, deep voice, and mysterious vocal cadence that makes the character both unreal and oddly human.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026
  • If there were any more life to the filmmaking, this tension could least be interesting, but the results are both perky and inert, unreal but entirely unmoored in time and space.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of unreal
Adjective
  • As the country hurtles toward a pivotal but divisive election, Netflix has done us all a favor by dropping four documentaries about really funny people this month.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • New York is getting roasted for an awkward giveaway T-shirt gaffe, made funnier by the team proudly posting the evidence on social media.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of funny

Browse Nearby Words

biweekly
bizarre
bizarreness
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Cite this Entry

“Bizarre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bizarre. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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