strangeness

IPA/ˈstreɪndʒnəs/
KK[strˈendʒnəs]IPA/ˈstreɪndʒnəs/

strangeness — noun

1. the feeling that something is odd, does not match what you expected, or cannot b

1.nounB2
Definition

the feeling that something is odd, does not match what you expected, or cannot be explained in a simple way

Example

Vikram felt a strangeness in the air as he entered the old house.

strangeness in + noun phrase

The strangeness of the blue glow made Dario stop at the forest edge.

Common collocations
  • a certain strangeness
  • the sheer strangeness of
  • notice the strangeness
  • sense the strangeness
Synonyms
  • oddness

    more informal; suggests something slightly off rather than deeply mysterious

  • peculiarity

    more formal; often points to a specific feature that stands out

  • weirdness

    very informal; carries a stronger emotional charge of unease

  • bizarreness

    stronger; suggests something strikingly unnatural or surreal

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the strangeness of + noun/gerund

a certain strangeness

Usage Note

Often describes a quality that is hard to name or pin down precisely. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about unfamiliarity rather than oddness.

Common Mistakes

He was a strangeness to me.
He was a stranger to me.
'strangeness' is the quality of being odd, not a person you do not know.

2. the sense that a place, person, or thing is new to you and outside what you know

2.nounB2
Definition

the sense that a place, person, or thing is new to you and outside what you know or recognise

Example

The strangeness of the new city faded after Vikram had lived there for a month.

the strangeness of + place

Dario still remembered the strangeness of his first day at the large secondary school.

Common collocations
  • the strangeness of a new place
  • the strangeness of meeting someone
  • overcome the strangeness
Synonyms
  • unfamiliarity

    more common and neutral; the standard word for not knowing something or someone

  • foreignness

    emphasises that something comes from another country or culture

  • newness

    simpler and more positive; focuses on the freshness rather than the discomfort

Antonyms
  • familiarity

    the feeling of knowing something or someone well

Grammar Patterns

the strangeness of + place/person/situation

Usage Note

Common when describing first encounters with people, places, or customs. The feeling usually fades as you become more familiar. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about oddness rather than unfamiliarity.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all describe something that feels not normal, but they sit at different points on a scale. Oddness is the mildest and most everyday — you might use it for a friend's unusual choice of shirt. Peculiarity is more precise: it often picks out one specific feature that makes the whole thing stand out, and it sounds slightly formal. Weirdness is informal and emotionally charged; it carries a hint of unease, as if the thing does not just look different but feels wrong. Bizarreness is the strongest of the four — it describes something so strange it seems almost dreamlike or unreal. Compare: 'The oddness of his handwriting made me pause' (mild) versus 'The bizarreness of the creature in the film stayed with me for days' (extreme). Choose oddness for everyday situations and reserve bizarreness for things that truly defy explanation.

oddnesspeculiarityweirdness ↗bizarreness ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • feel a strangeness
  • there is a strangeness to

Prepositions

  • strangeness of
  • strangeness in
  • strangeness about

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Strangeness is formed from the adjective strange (which came into English through Old French estrange, meaning 'foreign' or 'alien') plus the noun-forming suffix -ness. The Old French word traces back to Latin extraneus, meaning 'external' or 'from outside'. The sense of 'unusual or odd' developed in English from the original meaning of 'belonging to another place' — what is foreign often feels unfamiliar, and what is unfamiliar can feel odd.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1