Oct 29, 2004 13:57
19 yrs ago
4 viewers *
English term
weird vs strange
English
Other
Linguistics
What is the semantical difference between them if used in a context of 'not finding something' (e. g. a hairband)???
Responses
Responses
+9
12 mins
Derek Gill Franßen
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Germany
German Attorney & University Lecturer
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, English to German, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
12
Selected
odd v. unknown
I think the difference is minimal, but the word "strange" suggests "unknown (of before)", whereas the word "weird" suggests "odd" or deviating from the norm.
I think that many people (including myself) don't give it much thought and use both terms interchangeably. :-)
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Note added at 14 mins (2004-10-29 14:11:57 GMT)
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In fact, I use the term \"weird\" quite often - I am neither teenager nor student; I think it depends a lot on where a person grows up.
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Note added at 17 mins (2004-10-29 14:14:52 GMT)
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Ahem, \"grew up\"... ;-)
I think that many people (including myself) don't give it much thought and use both terms interchangeably. :-)
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Note added at 14 mins (2004-10-29 14:11:57 GMT)
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In fact, I use the term \"weird\" quite often - I am neither teenager nor student; I think it depends a lot on where a person grows up.
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Note added at 17 mins (2004-10-29 14:14:52 GMT)
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Ahem, \"grew up\"... ;-)
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Charlie Bavington
: haven't looked it up anywhere, but I like this explanation.
10 mins
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| agree |
David Moore (X)
: I'll go with this, too
28 mins
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| agree |
Julie Roy
49 mins
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| agree |
nlingua
: an excellent explanation - I couldn't think of anything!!
1 hr
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| agree |
J. Leo (X)
: where and when a person grew up. I think wierd is more common these days, but your explanation of the nuance is good.
1 hr
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| agree |
mportal
: yes, a strange country, for example would probably mean unknown, a weird country, on the other hand, is not as you'd expect, (probably in a negative way) but could be quite familiar to the writer
2 hrs
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| agree |
Krisztina Lelik
3 hrs
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| agree |
humbird
: Yes there is more value judgement attached to "weird".
3 hrs
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| agree |
Mikhail Kropotov
: I had pondered this question a LOT, but not enough to enter an answer. I really like yours, though.
12 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to all!"
+3
1 min
Konstantin Kisin
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
&
English
United Kingdom
Bilingual Finance, Law & Business Pro
Native in: English 
, Russian
Works in: Russian to English, English, English to Russian
Related KudoZ points
:
8
weird usually has a negative connotation, more so than strange
in my experience
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Note added at 4 mins (2004-10-29 14:01:37 GMT)
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weird is generally a \'stronger\' word, meaning strange to a more severe degree than strange itself...
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Note added at 4 mins (2004-10-29 14:01:37 GMT)
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weird is generally a \'stronger\' word, meaning strange to a more severe degree than strange itself...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Cormac Bracken
: Also, teenagers over-use "weird" :-)
1 min
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thanks :)
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| agree |
jccantrell
: strange is just out of the ordinary, wierd is WAAAAAY out of the ordinary.
21 mins
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thanks
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| agree |
Julie Roy
59 mins
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thanks Julie :)
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+1
54 mins
totally depends on local usage (interchangeable)
my colleagues have explained their understanding and, of course, they are correct.
Other similar terms are bizarre, out-of-the-ordinary, incomprehensible, unsuitable.
For example,
"his hair looks wierd today" (it usually looks ok but he did something to it)
"I do not find it strange that his boss got angry"
seems interchangeable, right?
Other similar terms are bizarre, out-of-the-ordinary, incomprehensible, unsuitable.
For example,
"his hair looks wierd today" (it usually looks ok but he did something to it)
"I do not find it strange that his boss got angry"
seems interchangeable, right?
+2
2 hrs
influence of supernatural v. out of the ordinary
The original, and still persisting, meaning of weird has to do with something that is uncanny, unexplainable in terms of ordinary reality. "I" didn't lose that hairband, it must have been spirited away by supernatural forces. Strange, as some others have said, would merely mean it is odd that it cannot be found (implication: usually I have no trouble finding the hairband, how unusual that today I can't find it...maybe someone else took it, but that someone probably wouldn't be poltergeists).
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Attila Piróth
12 mins
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Thank you, Attila
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| agree |
Tony M
: Yes, even though 'weird' is often used in senses that depart from its /// Goody, so am I! To me, as an ex-theatre-person, it's "THAT play"!
38 mins
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Thanks, Dusty. I am very etymologically minded and also never hear the word "weird" without thinking of Macbeth.//Yes, sorry, my son the Shakespearean actor would take me to task for calling it by its name.
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+1
2 hrs
Attila Piróth
France
France
France
PhD, ATA-certified En-Hu, sci-tech-IT
Native in: Hungarian 
Works in: English to Hungarian, French to Hungarian, Hungarian to English, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness; strange stresses unfamiliarity
In Webster's (Ninth New) Collegiate Dictionary you can find this:
WEIRD (EERIE, UNCANNY) mean misteriously strange or fantastic. WEIRD may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress queerness or oddness...
STRANGE (SINGULAR, UNIQUE, PECULIAR, ECCENTRIC, ERRATIC, ODD, QUEER, QUAINT, OUTLANDISH) mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected. STRANGE stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable...
WEIRD (EERIE, UNCANNY) mean misteriously strange or fantastic. WEIRD may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress queerness or oddness...
STRANGE (SINGULAR, UNIQUE, PECULIAR, ECCENTRIC, ERRATIC, ODD, QUEER, QUAINT, OUTLANDISH) mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected. STRANGE stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Deborah Workman
: Yep. I'd say that this is the actual difference in meaning. In describing a lost hairband, the terms might be used interchangeably unless the speaker thinks the hairband was spirited away/levitated/dematerialized/beamed up, in which case that IS weird!
4 days
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1 day 10 hrs
Depends
**Weird: uncanny; supernatural; STRANGE; queer; incomprehensible; odd; peculiar; bizarre; eerie; unearthly etc.
**Strange: unusual; peculiar; surprising; eccentric;; novel; alien; foreign; bizarre; odd; WIERD; uncommon; unknown; exotic; curious; funny; quaint; extraordinary; inexplicable; abnormal; remarkable; atypical etc.
The above meanings are from the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, American Edition.
In this context of not finding a hairband, I think both can be used to mean the same thing. But in other contexts, the two may not be interchangeable all the time, for there is a degree of strangeness or weirdness to both, which will make the meaning different.
As a peer has mentioned, weird has more of a negative meaning.
We all write or talk all the time; but isn't it weird that when we stop to ponder on similar words, and about their appropriateness in certain context, they become so difficult!
But
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Note added at 1 day 10 hrs 38 mins (2004-10-31 00:35:29 GMT)
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It is so wierd, where did this But come from?
**Strange: unusual; peculiar; surprising; eccentric;; novel; alien; foreign; bizarre; odd; WIERD; uncommon; unknown; exotic; curious; funny; quaint; extraordinary; inexplicable; abnormal; remarkable; atypical etc.
The above meanings are from the Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus, American Edition.
In this context of not finding a hairband, I think both can be used to mean the same thing. But in other contexts, the two may not be interchangeable all the time, for there is a degree of strangeness or weirdness to both, which will make the meaning different.
As a peer has mentioned, weird has more of a negative meaning.
We all write or talk all the time; but isn't it weird that when we stop to ponder on similar words, and about their appropriateness in certain context, they become so difficult!
But
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Note added at 1 day 10 hrs 38 mins (2004-10-31 00:35:29 GMT)
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It is so wierd, where did this But come from?
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