You may know weird as a generalized term describing something unusual, but this word also has older meanings that are more specific. Weird derives from the Old English noun wyrd, essentially meaning "fate." By the 8th century, the plural wyrde had begun to appear in texts as a gloss for Parcae, the Latin name for the Fates—three goddesses who spun, measured, and cut the thread of life. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Scots authors employed werd or weird in the phrase "weird sisters" to refer to the Fates. William Shakespeare adopted this usage in Macbeth, in which the "weird sisters" are depicted as three witches. Subsequent adjectival use of weird grew out of a reinterpretation of the weird used by Shakespeare.
weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity 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
Example Sentences
AdjectiveCosmic 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 2005If 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, 2004As 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 My little brother acts weird sometimes. I heard a weird noise. That's weird—I put my book down right here just a few minutes ago and now it's gone. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
If the person is a child, onlookers worry this will cause lasting damage and be weird for them for the rest of their lives. Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2022 Kline’s realization that family, friends, acquaintances — fellow American citizens — are weird and selfish creatures derives from desperate adolescent escapism. Armond White, National Review, 31 Aug. 2022 Kolten Wong, cleanup hitter? Sounds weird, but that was the case Tuesday for the Milwaukee Brewers with manager Craig Counsell's 102nd different lineup this season that had the second baseman batting between Hunter Renfroe and Keston Hiura. Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 The new cast is pretty, but vacant, and the plot lines are weird and dull, sinking the reboot like a lead balloon on the steps of the Met. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 29 Aug. 2022 Well, things have gone way beyond pearl clutching and weird. Erika D. Smithcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 Here are a few helpful tips for cleaning these school necessities, keeping them looking fresh and avoiding weird and disgusting smells. Joe Difazio, USA TODAY, 25 Aug. 2022 Each crow seemed louder and bolder than the next, and the more the birds cried out, the more birds joined in this weird, loud, alarm-like, song. Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 24 Aug. 2022 One contest gave people the equivalent of $700 for the most creative uses of the fruit; the winners ranged from the somewhat normal (an avocado parfait) to the truly weird (avocado spaghetti?). Tori Latham, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2022
Noun
When stay-at-home measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 went into effect earlier this spring, something weird happened to our sense of geography. Ashley Fetters, The Atlantic, 31 May 2020 Something weird happened on the oil market last week. Daniel Oberhaus, Wired, 1 May 2020 The antidote to the winter weirds is to stay active and go outside. Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Dec. 2019 Our family of weirds won’t be the same without him. Michele Corriston, PEOPLE.com, 7 Nov. 2019 But there’s no more time to rest, Betty’s alarm is blaring and her mother and brother are acting like nothing weird happened the night before. Jessica Macleish, Teen Vogue, 8 Feb. 2018 Lewis called the off-season market weird, especially for guys his age. Stefan Stevenson, star-telegram.com, 16 June 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
from construal as an adjective of weird entry 2 in weird sisters, name for the Fates of Greek and Roman myth (early Scots werd sisteris, Middle English wyrde systeres, Shakespeare weyard/weyward sisters, applied to the witches in Macbeth)
Noun
Middle English wird, werd, going back to Old English wyrd, going back to Germanic *wurdi- "fate, chance" (whence Old Saxon wurđ "fate," Old High German wurt, Old Norse urðr), derivative from the base of *werþan- "to come about, happen, become" — more at worth entry 4