bizarre

bizarre — adjective

1. so different from what people normally see, hear, or expect that it feels surpri

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

so different from what people normally see, hear, or expect that it feels surprising and difficult to explain.

Example

Marcus told us a bizarre story about a fish falling from the sky.

predicative-style narrative noun: a bizarre story

Lina wore a bizarre hat made of plastic spoons to the school party.

attributive: a bizarre + concrete noun

Common collocations
  • a bizarre coincidence
  • a bizarre incident
  • a bizarre twist
  • seem bizarre
  • find something bizarre
  • utterly bizarre
Synonyms
  • weird

    more informal; everyday speech

  • strange

    weaker; covers a wider range of mildly unfamiliar things

  • outlandish

    emphasises being foreign-seeming or wildly unconventional

  • surreal

    suggests a dream-like quality, as if not real

Antonyms
  • ordinary

    describes things you see every day

  • normal

    fits the usual pattern people expect

Usage Note

Stronger than 'strange' or 'unusual' — implies the thing feels almost hard to believe. Often modified by intensifiers such as 'quite', 'rather', 'utterly', 'truly'. Frequently used predicatively after 'seem', 'feel', 'find', or in the pattern 'it is bizarre that…'.

Common Mistakes

I felt very bizarre after the long flight.
I felt very strange after the long flight.
'bizarre' describes things or events that seem odd to others, not how a person feels inside.
Her dress was a little bizarre.
Her dress was a little unusual.
'bizarre' is a strong word, so soft modifiers like 'a little' or 'slightly' sound odd; use 'quite', 'rather', or 'truly' instead.

Word family

  • bizarrely
    adverbC1
  • bizarreness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe something that does not match what we expect, but they differ in strength and tone. 'Strange' is the most general and the mildest — anything slightly unfamiliar can be strange. 'Weird' is more informal and common in everyday speech, often used by friends chatting. 'Bizarre' is stronger and more formal: it suggests the thing is so unusual that it feels hard to believe, and it works well in news reports and written descriptions. 'Outlandish' adds a sense of being wildly unconventional, often about ideas, clothes, or claims. 'Surreal' suggests a dream-like quality, as if reality itself has shifted. Compare: 'a strange noise' (mildly odd), 'a weird neighbour' (casual), 'a bizarre coincidence' (striking, hard to explain), 'an outlandish outfit' (extreme), 'a surreal moment' (dream-like).

bizarre ↗weird ↗strange ↗outlandishsurreal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • seem bizarre
  • find it bizarre that
  • the most bizarre thing
  • in a bizarre way

Etymology

Basque (debated)ItalianFrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the mid-1600s from French 'bizarre', meaning odd or fantastic. The French word came from Italian 'bizzarro', which earlier meant angry or quick-tempered before shifting to mean strange or whimsical. Some scholars have linked it further back to Basque 'bizar' (beard), suggesting a bearded soldier looked striking, though this connection is debated. In English the meaning settled on 'strikingly out of the ordinary'.