What does "weird" mean?
Fate; destiny; luck.
Weird
/ˈwiɚd/ adj, adv, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Fate; destiny; luck.
- Grammar: weird is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: uncanny, absurd, anomalous, appointed lot.
- Useful contrasts: chance, conventional, earnest.
- Usage evidence: There was something weird about the incident.
How to use "weird"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "weird" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "weird" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "weird" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "weird" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "weird" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "uncanny" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "weird", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Fate; destiny; luck. archaic
"Step by reluctant step, he had come to know his weird. The North must be saved from her."
- 2 fate personified; any one of the three Weird Sisters wordnet
- 3 A prediction.
- 4 A spell or charm. Scotland, obsolete
"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."
- 5 That which comes to pass; a fact.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The Fates. archaic, in-plural
- 7 Weirdness. informal
"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
- 1 To destine; doom; change by witchcraft or sorcery. transitive
- 2 To warn solemnly; adjure. transitive
Adjective
- 1 Having an unusually strange character or behaviour.
"There are lots of weird people in this place."
- 2 Acronym of Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, not-comparable
"WEIRD societies"
- 3 Deviating from the normal; bizarre.
"It was quite weird to bump into all my ex-girlfriends on the same day."
- 4 Relating to weird fiction ("a macabre subgenre of speculative fiction").
"a weird story"
- 5 Of or pertaining to the Fates. archaic
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Connected with fate or destiny; able to influence fate. archaic
- 7 Of or pertaining to witches or witchcraft; supernatural; unearthly; suggestive of witches, witchcraft, or unearthliness; wild; uncanny. archaic
"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."
- 8 Having supernatural or preternatural power. archaic
"There was a weird light shining above the hill."
Adjective
- 1 strikingly odd or unusual wordnet
- 2 suggesting the operation of supernatural influences wordnet
Adverb
- 1 In a strange manner. nonstandard, not-comparable
"I waltzed into that club just as straight as a goose and I kept tripping over things and people were looking at me weird."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"There was something weird about the incident."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "weird"?
Common synonyms include: uncanny, absurd, anomalous, appointed lot, arcane, astral influences.
How do you use "weird" in a sentence?
There was something weird about the incident.
How do you pronounce "weird"?
Pronounced /ˈwiɚd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”). Doublet of wyrd. More at worth. Obsolete by the 16th century in English, but reintroduced from Middle Scots weird, whence Shakespeare borrowed it in naming the Weird Sisters (originally Weyward Sisters, the Three Witches), reintroducing it to English. The senses “abnormal”, “strange” etc. arose via reinterpretation of Weird Sisters and date from after this reintroduction.
Etymology 2
Coined by American evolutionary biologist Joseph Henrich and collaborators in 2010, referring to a bias among respondents and test subjects in psychology studies.