outre
Beyond the ordinary
Outré describes something that goes beyond conventional bounds—extravagantly unusual, bizarre, or shocking to conventional taste.
The word is borrowed from French and retains its accent in careful usage.
It suggests not just strangeness but a deliberate flouting of propriety or expectation: an outré costume that turned heads at the gala, His outré opinions made him unwelcome in polite company.
The term carries a slight air of sophistication, often used by those who appreciate eccentricity even as they name it.
Strikingly bold in style
- idiosyncraticDistinctively individual in nature
- quirkyIdiosyncratically unusual
- whimsicalPlayfully fanciful or erratic
- extravagantExceeding sensible bounds
baroque · rococo · ornate · elaborate · ostentatious · theatrical · showy · gaudy
Dreamlike and strange
- grotesqueDistorted, bizarre figure
- weirdStrangely unsettling
- absurdWildly illogical
- peculiarStrangely unusual
freakish · strange · uncanny · outlandish · fantastic · preposterous · unearthly · kafkaesque
Cultural or social prohibition
- scandalousMorally offensive or shocking
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
- shockingCausing intense surprise
- indecentOffensive to accepted standards
improper · unseemly · risqué · indelicate · inappropriate · offensive · tasteless · vulgar
flamboyant
Strikingly bold in style
- idiosyncraticDistinctively individual in nature
- quirkyIdiosyncratically unusual
- whimsicalPlayfully fanciful or erratic
extravagant · baroque · rococo · ornate · elaborate · ostentatious · theatrical · showy · gaudy · garish
surreal
Dreamlike and strange
peculiar · freakish · strange · uncanny · outlandish · fantastic · preposterous · unearthly · kafkaesque · phantasmagoric
taboo
Cultural or social prohibition
- scandalousMorally offensive or shocking
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
- shockingCausing intense surprise
indecent · improper · unseemly · risqué · indelicate · inappropriate · offensive · tasteless · vulgar · crude
outreconventional
Following accepted practices
mainstream · traditional · normal · ordinary · standard
outreproper
Socially appropriate
decorous · tasteful · restrained · respectable · acceptable
- go outsideLeave enclosed space
- outer spaceVacuum beyond Earth's atmosphere
- outside worldReality beyond one's space
- outside the boxBeyond conventional boundaries
- outer coreMolten planetary layer generating magnetism
- step outsideExit a building briefly
outside, outer, outrage, outsider, outrageous, outermost, outrageously, outrageousness, outré