freaks

Noun

freak (plural freaks)

1. (dated outside certain expressions) Someone or something that is markedly unusual or unpredictable.
   • The two-headed calf was a freak.

   Synonyms:

   anomaly, outlier, aberrant, abnormality, deviance, deviant, farlie, irregularity, odd fish, oddity

2. (derogatory, slang) A person who is extremely abnormal in appearance, social behavior, sexual orientation, gender identity, or business practices; an oddball, a unique person, originally in a displeasing or alienating way.
   • St. Bart’s was not particularly pleased either with Lake’s methods or with their results, but kept him on because it was fashionable to have at least one distinguished freak on the staff.1957 March 7, Vladimir Nabokov, chapter 4.5, in Pnin, Heinemann, page 96

   Synonyms:

   odd duck, weirdo, bizarro, coot, crackpot, crank, eccentric, glaik, hard case, kook

   1. (derogatory, slang) A hippie.
      • When long-haired, outlandishly dressed, drug-using hippies pilgrimaged to Haight-Ashbury in the early 1960s, they were quickly dubbed freaks; the pejorative appellation was both obvious and intended. It was not long before freak had become practically synonymous with hippie. It seems, however, that...[1969, Paul A. Eschholz, “Freak compounds for 'argot freaks'”, in American Speech, volume 44, number 4, →DOI, pages 306–307
   2. (derogatory, slang) A drug addict.
      • Smith and Sturges [June 1969] note in their study of the San Francisco drug scene that freak means "anyone addicted to drugs."[1969, Paul A. Eschholz, “Freak compounds for "argot freaks"”, in American Speech, volume 44, number 4, →DOI, pages 306–307
3. A person whose physique has grown far beyond the normal limits of muscular development; often a bodybuilder weighing more than 260 pounds (120 kg).
4. An enthusiast, or person who has an obsession with, or extreme knowledge of, something.
   • Bob's a real video-game freak. He owns every games console of the last ten years.

   Synonyms:

   fanatic, geek, admirer, aficionado, buff, connoisseur, enthusiast, devotee, maniac, fan

See all 15 meanings of freak