as in unusual
being out of the ordinary
even weather forecasters seemed surprised by the freak hailstorm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in anomaly
a person, thing, or event that is far from normal
that snowstorm in April was a freak, since our weather is usually much balmier by then
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lover
a person with a strong and habitual liking for something
I'm a hockey freak
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3
as in whim
a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action
suddenly had the bizarre freak to take a road trip across the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in addict
slang
a person who regularly uses drugs especially illegally
he knew that he'd never get his life in order if he continued to hang out with the crystal meth freaks
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of freak
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2023
It’s just what happens sometimes and it’s just such a freak accident.
—Mohammad Ahmad, cleveland, 4 Jan. 2023
Theo Baker, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
And for the fencer Giovanna Falconetti (Yile Vianello, Corpo Celeste), all seems to be going smoothly until a freak accident suddenly has her facing expulsion from the games.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for freak
Adjective
An Army hockey player was cut in the neck in a freak accident during a game at Sacred Heart on Thursday night, leaving a bloody trail on the ice at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2023
It’s just what happens sometimes and it’s just such a freak accident.
—Mohammad Ahmad, cleveland, 4 Jan. 2023
Noun
For most students, Stanford is a normal competitive school, where people go to class and coffee shops and fall in love and freak out over finals.
—Theo Baker, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
And for the fencer Giovanna Falconetti (Yile Vianello, Corpo Celeste), all seems to be going smoothly until a freak accident suddenly has her facing expulsion from the games.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for freak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freak
Adjective
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But, in other respects, your approach to the future might have been unusual, at least by our modern lights.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
They have also been shown to exhibit play behavior with objects in their enclosures, highly unusual behavior for a reptile.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Noun
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This past offseason proved to be an anomaly when the Bulldogs didn’t lose any.—
Connor Riley,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
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The unconscious brain was learning to tell the tones apart, continuously reorganizing its neural responses to better detect the anomaly over the course of the 10-minute playback.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Made in response to a difficult breakup, the work alludes to two lovers parting ways, but also to Pau’s memories of isolation as a severely asthmatic child in a notoriously polluted city, lying in bed staring at the wall and inventing stories to distract herself from the difficulty of breathing.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
People who collect rare books are book lovers, first and foremost.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Demolishes the East Wing of the White House on an egotistical whim?—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
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Poor Andy Sachs — in the form of the Disney princess-eyed Anne Hathaway — may have suffered the verbal lashings of a boss who expected whims to move worlds on her behalf.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This inciting incident gradually links together other dark threads in the building, including a gambling addict attempting to hide a corpse and a woman living alone who is the victim of an assault.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 May 2026
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AlAnon is a support group for family and friends of alcoholics/addicts.—
Ramona Sentinel,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Cheng traces how, with the help of Kim’s son Jong Il and a distant uncle who was once a pastor, Kim borrowed the tactics of religion to solidify extraordinary psychological control over an entire population.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
The second-degree murder charge, officially classified as a class 2 felony with an extraordinary risk of harm, carries an average prison sentence of 17 years, according to nonpartisan legislative analysts.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Noun
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The study found those carrying the GBA1 mutation but without symptoms already show an intermediate microbial profile, suggesting early changes before disease onset.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
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The mutation is strongly associated with Parkinson’s disease and is estimated to increase risk by nearly 30 times.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Keep in mind that trumpet vines can become invasive by self-seeding and sending up suckers, so allocate ample space.—
Sheryl Geerts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Snip upright suckers and water sprouts that zap the tree’s energy.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Freak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freak. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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