dziwne

Dziwne is an adjective in Polish that translates roughly as “strange,” “odd,” or “unusual.” It is used to describe a person, thing, event, or situation that stands out from what is typical or expected, sometimes causing surprise, curiosity, or skepticism.

The word derives from older Polish dziwny, linked to dziwo meaning “wonder” or “miracle.” Over time its sense broadened from “wonderful” or “marvelous” to include neutral or negative connotations of peculiarity or improbability.

It inflects for gender and number: masculine singular dziwny, feminine singular dziwna, neuter singular dziwne; plural forms follow standard Polish agreement, with dziwni for masculine personal nouns and dziwne for feminine and neuter or non-masculine plurality. The adverbial form is dziwnie, used to modify verbs (e.g., Działa dziwnie – It works strangely). The related noun dziwność denotes “strangeness” or “oddity.”

Dziwne is common in everyday speech and writing, from casual remarks to literary description. It can express mild surprise or skepticism, as in To dziwne, że… (It’s strange that…), or a stronger judgment about behavior: To było dziwne zachowanie. It is distinct from synonyms like niezwykły (extraordinary) or tajemniczy (mysterious) in nuance.

Related terms include dziwność (n), dziwny (adj), and dziwnie (adv). In Polish language and culture, the word frequently appears in discussions of oddities, anomalies, or uncanny phenomena.