BIZARRE Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'bizarre' different from other adjectives like it?

The words fantastic and grotesque are common synonyms of bizarre . While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination. // a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

Q: When can 'fantastic' be used instead of 'bizarre'?

While the synonyms fantastic and bizarre are close in meaning, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention. // dreamed up fantastic rumors

Q: When might 'grotesque' be a better fit than 'bizarre'?

Although the words grotesque and bizarre have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones. // grotesque statues on the cathedral // though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

bizarre

adjective

bə-ˈzär

Definition of bizarre next

as in absurd

conceived or made without regard for reason or reality a bizarre invention that no one could figure out how to use

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in strange

different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion he gave a bizarre excuse for getting home so late

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bizarre different from other adjectives like it?

The words fantastic and grotesque are common synonyms of bizarre. While all three words mean "conceived, made, or carried out without adherence to truth or reality," bizarre applies to the sensationally strange and implies violence of contrast or incongruity of combination.

a bizarre medieval castle in the heart of a modern city

When can fantastic be used instead of bizarre?

While the synonyms fantastic and bizarre are close in meaning, fantastic may connote extravagance in conception or ingenuity of decorative invention.

dreamed up fantastic rumors

When might grotesque be a better fit than bizarre?

Although the words grotesque and bizarre have much in common, grotesque may apply to what is conventionally ugly but artistically effective or it may connote ludicrous awkwardness or incongruity often with sinister or tragic overtones.

grotesque statues on the cathedral

though grieving, she made a grotesque attempt at a smile

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bizarre She’s made a habit of parroting Russian talking points about Syria, which is of a piece with her other bizarre strategic misjudgments. —

The Editors, National Review, 24 Jan. 2025 There's nothing novel about any of this, and in fact, fewer people were shot than in that bizarre Alabama gun battle mentioned up top. —

Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 24 Jan. 2025 The bizarre tone, the lack of depth in RPG and combat mechanics, the sloppy writing, the mobile game UI, the preachiness, the lackluster story, the lore-breaking, all of this created a sense that BioWare and EA weren’t actually releasing a sequel at all. —

Erik Kain, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025 For more than 20 years scientists at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have occasionally encountered this five-inch translucent creature with a bizarre medley of traits. —

Jude Coleman, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bizarre

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bizarre

Adjective

Ironically, its only real payoff is its surreal magnitude of Drake-centricity (down to casting a look-alike), which largely ends up being absurd and hilarious thanks to events entirely outside of the film’s purview.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 28 Jan. 2025
Courts should continue to quickly reject his absurd, insulting, and ahistorical legal arguments, which violate the clear text of the 14th Amendment.

— Elizabeth Wydra and Nina Henry, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025