1
as in bizarre
different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion
the night watchman calls the police if he notices any out-of-the-way activity taking place during his shift
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in unusual
noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced
there was nothing out-of-the-way about the hitchhiker's appearance that might arouse suspicion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
out of the way
2 of 2phrase
1
as in up
brought or having come to an end
Now that we've got the first step out of the way it's time to start phase two.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in inappropriate
not appropriate for a particular occasion or situation
They hoped he wouldn't say anything out of the way at the party.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of out-of-the-way
Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
Having somehow returned, firmly, to the real world, the narrator decides to quit his job and start working in a library in a small, out-of-the-way town in Fukushima Prefecture.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
Many who were imprisoned there, and at similar camps scattered in out-of-the-way corners of the country, spent the rest of their lives trying to erase the memory.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024
Label and stack them in an out-of-the-way place, like under the sink or the linen closet.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for out-of-the-way 
Adjective
Meanwhile, Ojibwe chef Bryce Stevenson, a key figure in the Indigenous Food Sovereignty movement and a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist, took a big gamble in 2023 by choosing his out-of-the-way home turf as the location for a high-concept restaurant, Miijim.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2024
Having somehow returned, firmly, to the real world, the narrator decides to quit his job and start working in a library in a small, out-of-the-way town in Fukushima Prefecture.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
Many who were imprisoned there, and at similar camps scattered in out-of-the-way corners of the country, spent the rest of their lives trying to erase the memory.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2024
Label and stack them in an out-of-the-way place, like under the sink or the linen closet.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for out-of-the-way
Recent Examples of Synonyms for out-of-the-way
Adjective
-
The bizarre clip, reportedly shot with an iPhone, featured West in a dentist’s chair asking people to go to the website.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Certainly, the eccentric characters and bizarre situations in his novels reflect a hallucinatory vision.—
Tom Vitale,
NPR,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Available in three sophisticated shades – carbon, affogato, and flute (a light, blue-tinged grey) – it’s spun from 100% cashmere sourced from a prestigious Italian mill regarded as the world’s finest, and knitted to be a double-faced jersey, which is unusual.—
Benedict Browne,
Robb Report,
7 Feb. 2025
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Local business ads sometimes ran to 10 pages with 30 plus Christmas business ads not being unusual and 12- 14 bars invited you to visit them.—
Bob Roepke,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The Chiefs have been here five times in the past six years so they’re used to the strange questions and odd requests that have become far too common on opening night.—
Rob Maaddi,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2025
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Scientists have detected something strange in Earth’s magnetosphere, some 100,000 miles away from the ground.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Giants defensive players, though, also described Daniels as having uncommon poise in the pocket.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2025
-
The big picture: Fatal crashes of commercial aircraft in the U.S. have become uncommon in the 21st century, as regulations have increased, technology has advanced and safety measures and controls have improved.—
Sareen Habeshian,
Axios,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Stepping back, though—doesn’t something about this feel weird?—
Stephanie H. Murray,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2025
-
No question is too weird, too small or too Seattle.—
Axios Seattle,
Axios,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The sweet, funny, profound ceremony in Oakland on Saturday could have doubled as a celebration of life for A’s baseball here, as the team migrates to Sacramento this season with its sights set on Las Vegas.—
Daniel Brown,
The Athletic,
2 Feb. 2025
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April is funny and self-deprecating, seemingly comfortable in her skin despite the constant questioning of her gender.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Having studied most of the 107 assists credited to goalkeepers in the Premier League, most are essentially long punts upfield that then rely on brilliant work done by the scorer, are the result of defensive mistakes, or are odd quirks that mean the goalkeeper gets the assist on a technicality.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
6 Feb. 2025
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The ancestors of modern waterfowl weren’t all that odd.—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Closed caucus meetings used to be so rare The Tennessean in 2016 reported on one meeting when media was asked to leave.—
Vivian Jones,
The Tennessean,
3 Feb. 2025
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This approach is exceedingly rare in his region of Northeast Indiana, most would find it in LA or New York.—
Kyle J. Russell,
USA TODAY,
2 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near out-of-the-way
Cite this Entry
“Out-of-the-way.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/out-of-the-way. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
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