Meaning of "queer" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD QUEER

Perhaps from German quer oblique, ultimately from Old High German twērh.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF QUEER

queer  [kwɪə]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF QUEER

Queer is a verb and can also act as a noun and an adjective.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb queer in English.

WHAT DOES QUEER MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Queer

Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities that are not heterosexual, or gender-binary. Originally meaning strange or peculiar, queer developed a usage as a pejorative term for homosexual in the late 19th century. Beginning in the late 1980s, some political and social LGBT groups began to reappropriate the word to establish community and assert a political identity, with it becoming the preferred term to describe some academic disciplines and gaining use as a descriptor of non-heterosexual identities. Queer may be used by those who reject traditional gender identities as a broader, less conformist, and deliberately ambiguous alternative to LGBT. The term is now used in the name of some academic disciplines, such as queer theory, to denote a general opposition to binary thinking. Queer arts, queer cultural groups, and queer political groups are examples of expressions of queer identities. Criticisms of queer include those who associate the term with its pejorative usage and those who associate it with political radicalism.

Definition of queer in the English dictionary

The first definition of queer in the dictionary is differing from the normal or usual in a way regarded as odd or strange. Other definition of queer is suspicious, dubious, or shady. Queer is also faint, giddy, or queasy.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO QUEER

PRESENT

Present

I queer

you queer

he/she/it queers

we queer

you queer

they queer

Present continuous

I am queering

you are queering

he/she/it is queering

we are queering

you are queering

they are queering

Present perfect

I have queered

you have queered

he/she/it has queered

we have queered

you have queered

they have queered

Present perfect continuous

I have been queering

you have been queering

he/she/it has been queering

we have been queering

you have been queering

they have been queering

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I queered

you queered

he/she/it queered

we queered

you queered

they queered

Past continuous

I was queering

you were queering

he/she/it was queering

we were queering

you were queering

they were queering

Past perfect

I had queered

you had queered

he/she/it had queered

we had queered

you had queered

they had queered

Past perfect continuous

I had been queering

you had been queering

he/she/it had been queering

we had been queering

you had been queering

they had been queering

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will queer

you will queer

he/she/it will queer

we will queer

you will queer

they will queer

Future continuous

I will be queering

you will be queering

he/she/it will be queering

we will be queering

you will be queering

they will be queering

Future perfect

I will have queered

you will have queered

he/she/it will have queered

we will have queered

you will have queered

they will have queered

Future perfect continuous

I will have been queering

you will have been queering

he/she/it will have been queering

we will have been queering

you will have been queering

they will have been queering

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would queer

you would queer

he/she/it would queer

we would queer

you would queer

they would queer

Conditional continuous

I would be queering

you would be queering

he/she/it would be queering

we would be queering

you would be queering

they would be queering

Conditional perfect

I would have queer

you would have queer

he/she/it would have queer

we would have queer

you would have queer

they would have queer

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been queering

you would have been queering

he/she/it would have been queering

we would have been queering

you would have been queering

they would have been queering

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you queer
we let´s queer
you queer

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to queer

Past participle

queered

Present Participle

queering

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «QUEER»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «queer» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of queer

abnormal · anomalous · atypical · batty boy · bodge · botch · camp · crazy · curious · demented · disquieting · dizzy · doubtful · droll · dubious · eccentric · eerie · endanger · erratic · extraordinary · faint · fishy · funny · gay · giddy · harm · homo · homosexual · idiosyncratic · impair · imperil · injure · irrational · irregular · jeopardize · left-field · lesbian · light-headed · lily · mad · mar · mysterious · odd · off the air · outlandish · pansy · peculiar · pink · poof · puzzling · queasy · queen · questionable · remarkable · ruin · rum · shady · shirt-lifter · singular · spoil · strange · suspicious · thwart · touched · unbalanced · uncanny · uncommon · unconventional · unhinged · unnatural · unorthodox · unusual · weird · woofter · wreck

TRANSLATION OF QUEER

Find out the translation of queer to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of queer from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «queer» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 酷儿
• Translator English - Spanish: raro
• English: queer
• Translator English - Hindi: समलैंगिक
• Translator English - Arabic: عليل
• Translator English - Russian: странно
• Translator English - Portuguese: estranha
• Translator English - Bengali: উত্কট
• Translator English - French: bizarre
• Translator English - Malay: Pelik
• Translator English - German: sonderbar
• Translator English - Japanese: 奇妙な
• Translator English - Korean: 동성애
• Translator English - Javanese: Ngguyu
• Translator English - Vietnamese: say sưa
• Translator English - Tamil: விந்தை
• Translator English - Marathi: विचित्र
• Translator English - Turkish: eşcinsel
• Translator English - Italian: strano
• Translator English - Polish: queer
• Translator English - Ukrainian: дивно
• Translator English - Romanian: ciudat
• Translator English - Greek: queer
• Translator English - Afrikaans: queer
• Translator English - Swedish: queer
• Translator English - Norwegian: queer

10 QUOTES WITH «QUEER»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word queer.

1

Joyce Cary

For good and evil, man is a free creative spirit. This produces the very queer world we live in, a world in continuous creation and therefore continuous change and insecurity.

2

Carlo Collodi

A boy's appetite grows very fast, and in a few moments the queer, empty feeling had become hunger, and the hunger grew bigger and bigger, until soon he was as ravenous as a bear.

3

Beth Ditto

Because I didn't have any queer, lesbian, female role models I hated my own femininity and had to look deep within myself to create an identity that worked for me. Pop culture just doesn't hand us enough variety to choose from.

4

Dorothy Dix

It is a queer thing, but imaginary troubles are harder to bear than actual ones.

5

Emma Donoghue

I love it when novels contain a broad cast of characters, including queer ones.

6

Kyan Douglas

Queer Eye is a makeover show, meant to help our straight brethren.

7

Anne Frank

If I read a book that impresses me, I have to take myself firmly by the hand, before I mix with other people; otherwise they would think my mind rather queer.

8

John Galsworthy

When Man evolved Pity, he did a queer thing - deprived himself of the power of living life as it is without wishing it to become something different.

9

Allen Ginsberg

America I'm putting my queer shoulder to the wheel.

10

Thom Gunn

When I first started to write, I was aware of being queer, but I didn't write about it. queer poems would probably not have been accepted by the editors I sent them to.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «QUEER»

Discover the use of queer in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to queer and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Queer

A haunting tale of possession and exorcism, Queer is also a novel with a history of secrets, as this new edition reveals.

William S. Burroughs, Oliver Harris, 2010

Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others

This is a theoretical study of the spatialization of sexuality through a consideration of how the 'orientation' of bodies within a social space informs concepts of sexual desire.

Sara Ahmed, 2006

Deleuze and Queer Theory

This exciting collection of work introduces a major shift in debates on sexuality: a shift away from discourse, identity and signification, to a radical new conception of bodily materialism.

Chrysanthi Nigianni, Merl Storr, 2009

Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, Desire

Treating such issues as animal sex, species politics, environmental justice, lesbian space and "gay" ghettos, AIDS literatures, and queer nationalities, this lively collection asks important questions at the intersections of sexuality and ...

Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands, Bruce Erickson, 2010

Feminist, Queer, Crip

This bold book goes against the grain of normalization and promotes a political framework for a more just world.

Alison Kafer, 2013

Queer as Folk: The Book

A richly illustrated companion to the popular Showtime series about a group of gay men and women in Pittsburgh features season-by-season episode synopses, interviews with members of the cast and crew, profiles of the main characters, and ...

Paul Ruditis, 2003

The Queer Art of Failure

The Queer Art of Failure is about finding alternatives - to conventional understandings of success in a heteronormative, capitalist society; to academic disciplines that confirm what is already known according to approved methods of knowing ...

Judith Halberstam, 2011

A Queer History of the United States

“In the age of Twitter and reductive history, we need a complex, fully realized, radical reassessment of history—and A Queer History of the United States is exactly that.

Michael Bronski, 2011

Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology

DIVWhile over the past decade a number of scholars have done significant work on questions of black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered identities, this volume is the first to collect this groundbreaking work and make black queer ...

E. Patrick Johnson, Mae G. Henderson, 2005

Queer London: Perils and Pleasures in the Sexual Metropolis, ...

'Queer London' explores the underground gay culture of London during four decades when homosexual acts between consenting adults remained illegal.

Matt Houlbrook, 2006

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «QUEER»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term queer is used in the context of the following news items.

LGBT Community Organises 'Queer Pride March' in Kerala's …

... Penal Code or IPC and asking for a life of dignity. The sixth edition of the 'Queer Pride March' started from 'Manaveeyam Veedhi' in Thiruvananthapuram. «NDTV, Jul 15»

Queer festival in Seoul celebrates community and U.S. ruling

SEOUL, June 29 (UPI) -- South Korea's annual Queer Culture Festival took on a new meaning Saturday, just after the U.S. Supreme Court declared same-sex ... «UPI.com, Jun 15»

Garbage to Play Full Debut Album on '20 Years of Queer' Tour

Garbage will celebrate two decades of alt-rock craftsmanship with their "20 Years of Queer" Tour, which kicks off October 6th in San Diego. The American run ... «RollingStone.com, Jun 15»

'Queer as Folk' Reunion: Creators Talk Early Obstacles and a …

Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman talk with THR about the impact of the Showtime drama 10 years after it wrapped its five-season run: "People came for the queer ... «Hollywood Reporter, Jun 15»

Not Your Mother's Catholic Frescoes: Radiant Portraits Of Queer …

All of them are queer people of color. "I wanted to specifically focus on this community because queer and trans people of color are so rarely represented in the ... «NPR, May 15»

US film Carol wins Queer Palm at Cannes

A lesbian love story starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara won the independently sponsored 2015 Queer Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival Saturday ... «RFI, May 15»

Queer leaders at UC Santa Cruz looking for answers after attack

Monday, queer student leaders, campus administrators and directors from LGBTQ centers at other UC campuses met to discuss changes that could be ... «San Jose Mercury News, Apr 15»

Community: “Queer Studies And Advanced Waxing”

The difficulty in evaluating a show that's gone through as many changes as has Community is figuring out the metric by which it should be evaluated. It seems ... «A.V. Club, Mar 15»

Queer as Folk: Where are they now?

Stuart, Vince and Nathan caused quite a stir when they first appeared on the nation's screens in 1999 in Russell T Davies' Queer as Folk. The attractive young ... «Radio Times, Jan 15»

Queer As Folk cast - Then and Now: What the show's stars did next

A Russell T Davies TV project is always something to be excited about. From gifting us Queer as Folk to saving Doctor Who, he has given us a lot to be grateful ... «Digital Spy UK, Jan 15»