strange to understand

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "strange to understand" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing something that is difficult to comprehend or makes little sense. Example: "The concept was so complex that it felt strange to understand, leaving many students confused."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

He says the idea that his instruments are "moving through thought itself, through emotion and reason, and that memories, dreams and reflections should consist of jelly, is simply too strange to understand.

The Guardian

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

The other strange thing to understand is that the planets wander across the sky with a speed which is faintly shocking.

The Guardian

It was strange to see something generally understood as a symbol of beauty and status, shoved into a dank, fleshy hole.

Vice

Still, it's strange and difficult to understand why such a bug wouldn't affect many other stories that regularly go viral on the social platform.

TechCrunch

In a country whose problems with women's underwear trend toward the lack thereof (see Lohan, Lindsay) or upskirting, it may be strange for westerners to understand the power the period panty holds over superstitious Myanmar juntas.

Huffington Post

But I think for her, as someone who has sort of shied away from attention and shied away from being in front of a camera instead of behind it, it was a strange thing trying to understand what it was I was trying to capture.

Huffington Post

Skogerson, a 2008 Whitney Biennial artist and MacDowell Colony veteran who currently teaches at MassArt, has a history of capturing the kind of intense isolation Strange Play promises to understand (former subject matter include immense industrial wastelands and the commercial aftermath of Hurricane Ivan).

Huffington Post

The other four symptoms (strange feelings in body, false beliefs or ideas, calling attention to oneself with strange behavior, speech difficult to understand) were reported by 2% to 5% of SW Indians.

BMC Psychiatry

"The new people were strange, violent and hard to understand.

The Guardian - Books

4 p.m. 8. Tyrolean Style Half-Austrian, half-Italian, the Tyrol is a strange region for outsiders to understand.

The New York Times - Travel

That same summer, social-justice protests across the country focussed more on the cost of living and away from these strange, and often hard to understand, legal cases.

The New Yorker

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "strange to understand", ensure the context clearly identifies what is considered strange. Provide additional information or examples to aid the reader's comprehension.

Common error

Avoid using "strange to understand" when a simpler term like "difficult" or "unclear" would suffice. Overusing it can make your writing sound pretentious.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "strange to understand" functions as an adjectival phrase, modifying a noun or concept by describing its quality of being both unusual and difficult to comprehend. Ludwig AI confirms this usage through numerous examples of the phrase in context.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

45%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

4%

Wiki

3%

Reference

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "strange to understand" is a grammatically correct and commonly used expression to describe something that is both peculiar and difficult to comprehend. According to Ludwig AI, its usage spans various contexts, including news, science, and business, with a neutral register. While effective, writers should be mindful of simpler alternatives for clarity. The phrase conveys that the barrier to understanding stems from the unusual nature of the subject, as opposed to its inherent complexity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficult to comprehend

Focuses on the difficulty in grasping the concept.

hard to grasp

Emphasizes the effort required to understand.

perplexing to understand

Highlights the confusing nature of the subject.

baffling to understand

Stresses the inability to make sense of something.

puzzling to understand

Suggests something is like a riddle or a problem to solve.

peculiar to understand

Indicates that something is unusually strange when trying to understand it.

unfamiliar to grasp

Highlights the novelty and the difficulty of understanding due to lack of experience.

obscure to comprehend

Points out the lack of clarity and the resulting difficulty in understanding.

enigmatic to decipher

Implies the need to decode something mysterious to understand it.

esoteric to fathom

Suggests the understanding requires specialized knowledge.

FAQs

How can I use "strange to understand" in a sentence?

You can use "strange to understand" to describe something that is difficult to comprehend because of its unusual or peculiar nature. For example: "The professor's explanation of quantum physics was "strange to understand" for many students."

What are some alternatives to "strange to understand"?

Alternatives to "strange to understand" include "difficult to comprehend", "hard to grasp", or "perplexing to understand". The best choice depends on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is "strange to understand" formal or informal?

"Strange to understand" can be used in both formal and informal contexts, but it's essential to consider your audience. In more formal writing, using "difficult to comprehend" might be preferable.

What makes something "strange to understand" versus simply "difficult"?

Something that is "strange to understand" is not just difficult, but also peculiar or unusual in a way that hinders comprehension. It implies that the difficulty stems from the subject's odd or unfamiliar nature, rather than its inherent complexity. Difficulty is a general term, the other implies the difficulty to comprehend stems from a sense of novelty and oddity.