VocabauraVOCABAURA

queer

adjective · adverb

Simple meaning

About sexual or gender behaviour or identity which does not conform to conventional heterosexual or cisgender norms, assumptions etc.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kwir
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkwɪɹ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. loosely

    Pertaining to sexual or gender behaviour or identity which does not conform to conventional heterosexual or cisgender norms, assumptions etc.

  2. chiefly us

    Of or relating to the culture surrounding queer people.

adverb

  1. ireland

    Very, extremely.

  2. Queerly.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (loosely) Pertaining to sexual or gender behaviour or identity which does not conform to conventional heterosexual or cisgender norms, assumptions etc.

Used this way, queer is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “queer”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

queer theoryqueer feelingqueer sortrather queerqueer nationqueer politics

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • queer birdnounCompound term

    Someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group.

  • queer ducknounCompound term

    Someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: pertaining to sexual or gender behaviour

curioushomophileDated

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “queer” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.