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¹weird

noun \ˈwird\

Definition of WEIRD

: fate, destiny; especially : ill fortune

: soothsayer

Origin of WEIRD

Middle English wird, werd, from Old English wyrd; akin to Old Norse urthr fate, Old English weorthan to become — more at worth

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

Rhymes with WEIRD

beard, eared, tiered

²weird

adjective \ˈwird\

: unusual or strange

Full Definition of WEIRD

: of, relating to, or caused by witchcraft or the supernatural : magical

: of strange or extraordinary character : odd, fantastic

— weird·ly adverb

— weird·ness noun

See weird defined for English-language learners

See weird defined for kids

Examples of WEIRD

Cosmic strings are second only to black holes in the astrophysicist's pantheon of weird objects. They are narrow, ultradense filaments formed during a phase transition—called inflation—within the first microsecond of cosmic history. —Steve Nadis, Astronomy, October 2005
If you looked at them closely you realized they were carved with weird, pagan creatures, more like hobgoblins than men, half hidden among trees and leaves—here acanthus and there what looked like a palm tree. —Kate Atkinson, Case Histories, 2004
As an extended fictional device allegory is used mainly in didactic, satirical fables, such as Gulliver's Travels, Animal Farm and Erewhon. In these masterpieces a surface realism of presentation gives the fantastic events a kind of weird plausibility … —David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, 1992
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Origin of WEIRD

(see ¹weird)

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to WEIRD

Synonyms: bizarre, bizarro, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky (also kookie), offbeat, off-kilter, off-the-wall, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum [chiefly British], screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky (also whacky), way-out, odd, weirdo, wild

Antonyms: common, ordinary, plain, usual

Synonym Discussion of WEIRD

weird, eerie, uncanny mean mysteriously strange or fantastic. weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress queerness or oddness <weird creatures from another world>. eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work <an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid>. uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness <an uncanny resemblance between total strangers>.

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, wraith

WEIRD[2] Defined for Kids

weird

adjective \ˈwird\

weird·erweird·est

Definition of WEIRD for Kids

: very unusual : strange <So what if I have weird eyebrows and funny toes? — Judy Blume, Sheila the Great>

Word History of WEIRD

The adjective weird came from an earlier noun weird, which meant “fate.” In Scotland weird was used as an adjective in the phrase “the Weird Sisters,” a name for the Fates, three goddesses who set human destinies. In his play Macbeth, William Shakespeare adapted this phrase for the eerie sisters who tell Macbeth his fate. So well-known was Shakespeare's usage that the original meaning of weird was forgotten and people assumed that it meant “strange, fantastic”—which accurately described the sisters in the play.