queer

UK: /ˈkwɪə^r/ US: /kwɪr/ ,(kwēr)

Inflections of 'queer' (adj):

queerer

adj comparative

queerest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

queer /kwɪr/   adj., -er, -est, v., n. 
adj. 

1. strange or odd;
   unusually different:
   A queer old man suddenly emerged from the corner of the bookshop.
2. suspicious;
   shady;
   questionable:
   There's something queer in the wording of this document.
3. not physically right or well;
   sick or faint:
   [be + ~] feeling queer.
4. [be + ~] mentally unbalanced;
   deranged.
5. Psychiatry, Slang Terms [Slang] (usually disparaging and offensive). homosexual.

v. [~ + object]
6. to spoil;
   ruin:
   The salesman complained that you queered his sales pitch.

n. [countable]
7. Psychiatry, Slang Terms [Slang] (usually disparaging and offensive). a homosexual.
queer•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

queer  (kwēr), adj., -er, -est, v., n. 
adj. 

1. strange or odd from a conventional viewpoint;
   unusually different;
   singular:
   a queer notion of justice.
2. of a questionable nature or character;
   suspicious;
   shady:
   Something queer about the language of the prospectus kept investors away.
3. not feeling physically right or well;
   giddy, faint, or qualmish:
   to feel queer.
4. mentally unbalanced or deranged.
5. Psychiatry, Slang Terms [Slang] (disparaging and offensive).
   • homosexual.
   • effeminate;
     unmanly.
6. Slang Terms bad, worthless, or counterfeit.

v.t. 
7. to spoil;
   ruin.
8. to put (a person) in a hopeless or disadvantageous situation as to success, favor, etc.
9. to jeopardize.
10. British Terms, Informal Terms, Idioms queer the pitch, to spoil the chances of success.

n. 
11. Psychiatry, Slang Terms [Slang] (disparaging and offensive). a homosexual, esp. a male homosexual.
12. Slang Terms counterfeit money.
• German quer oblique, cross, adverse
• perh. 1500–10
queer′ly, adv. 
queer′ness, n. 
Synonyms
• 1. unconventional, curious, freakish, eccentric, weird. See strange. 
Antonyms
• 1. ordinary.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

queer / kwɪə/ adjective

1. differing from the normal or usual in a way regarded as odd or strange
2. suspicious, dubious, or shady
3. faint, giddy, or queasy
4. homosexual
5. denoting or having a gender or sexual identity that does not correspond to traditional norms
6. odd or unbalanced mentally; eccentric or slightly mad
7. worthless or counterfeit

noun

1. a homosexual person, usually male
2. a person whose gender or sexual identity does not correspond to traditional norms

verb (transitive)

1. to spoil or thwart (esp in the phrase queer someone's pitch)
2. to put in a difficult or dangerous position

Etymology: 16th Century: perhaps from German quer oblique, ultimately from Old High German twērh

ˈqueerly adverb

ˈqueerness noun

USAGE
Although the term queer meaning homosexual is still considered highly offensive when used by non-homosexuals, it is often used by homosexuals themselves as a positive term. Queer has also come to refer to any person who does not conform with traditional notions of sexuality and gender, and it is used positively by many people who identify themselves this way