Weird Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
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Shakespeare's Connection to Weird
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.
Choose the Right Synonym for weird
weird, eerie, uncanny mean mysteriously strange or fantastic.
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
Examples of weird in a Sentence
Adjective 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
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Roadside America prides itself on providing in-depth info and maps for the nation's funniest and weirdest must-sees. — Nicole Pajer, Peoplemag, 22 July 2024
There's a weird father-child relationship, which between the primary villain and the Minions in the Despicable Me series, that functions a bit like a family.
— Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 19 July 2024
Her scenes are animated by off-kilter rhythms and weird whims, while the rest of the film crashes into deadening realism.
— Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024
The doll renaissance may be healing your inner child
To some, adult women obsessing over their childhood dolls and getting fashion inspiration from their dolls might seem… weird.
— Averee Nelson, StyleCaster, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for weird 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'weird.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
First Known Use
Adjective
1817, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of weird was before the 12th century
Dictionary Entries Near weird
Cite this Entry
“Weird.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weird. Accessed 30 Jul. 2024.
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Last Updated: 25 Jul 2024 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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