Is it socially acceptable to describe someone as a bit weird?

Maybe they are weird, but what's the point in saying it? It's not to be kind, is it?

There are plenty of other ways to describe someone.

This is a perfect example of how we moderate our language now because of fear of reprisals - we behave as if everything is recorded for posterity

I expect adults to have the maturity to recognise that there are a lot of different types of people in the world, we’re not in secondary school and, even if you believe about yourself that you’re the cool popular girl (embarrassing in an adult tbh) there’s probably someone else who thinks you’re weird. So yeah, I do judge people who don’t seem to have reached that level of maturity, and I would judge someone for using ‘weird’ in the sense of ‘not as socially acceptable and mainstream as I think I am’.

If you’re using ‘weird’ to warn another woman about a man’s creepy behaviour or something that made you feel unsafe, that’s a bit different.

Define weird 😉
I wish we could move past this obsession with what’s “socially acceptable.” People and situations should be described as they actually are, without everyone tiptoeing around language in fear of accidentally offending someone.

Some people are just weird. Where do you lot live who think we shouldn't say it? You must all live in Utopia - I'd be bereft of descriptors for my bus journeys if I couldn't use that work.

Judging someone in your head is one thing, expressing that judgement is very different.

Exactly this. Describing someone as "weird" is hardly a compliment.

Not every opinion or feeling needs to be expressed.

And of course it’s socially acceptable to judge people ! We make judgements every moment we are with people - strange MN thing about judgement

Is it a criticism? Some see it as a compliment

I think it's fine in a casual conversation with friends. I wouldn't write it down.

These days I find people are more likely to say 'almost certainly autistic' or (worse) 'on the spectrum' or (worst) 'neuro-spicy'. Personally, I think randomly diagnosing people is more offensive than saying someone is a bit weird, but it seems more normal to do that now.

Is it socially acceptable to criticise and judge someone behind their back?
Not really, no.

Depends on the situation, who you are describing and who you’re describing them to.

I used to have a neighbour who, by any objective measure, behaved in quite strange ways at times. I would certainly have described him as ‘a bit weird’ to my partner or my friends or family.

I wouldn’t have described him that way to his wife.

Similarly there’s a man where I work who I find mildly creepy for reasons I can’t quite define and who sometimes says some quite odd things. If I was telling one of my friends about him I’d say I find him weird. If I was telling my boss about him I’d say ‘I find conversations with him a bit awkward’ or ‘He said some things in the meeting that made me wonder if he really understands this subject’ or ‘he doesn’t always act like you’d expect a professional colleague to act’.

I must get called weird at least once a week at work. Depending who it is im mainly not bothered.

I might say "i found him/her a bit odd, but it's all fine by me. Live and let live!"

I'm probably more likely to be the one being called odd/weird than the other way around.. and that's also fine, if someone finds me weird they're allowed to. What does piss me off is using that as an excuse to exclude, bully, or make fun of someone.

I think that we hesitate to use the word odd or weird because these days it is seen as something to be ashamed of, or something that makes you a target. Don't hesitate to use the word, but make sure you don't give it bad connotations.

Yes, I always say I’m a bit weird too.

I think that there’s 2 kinds of weird.

Weird as in unusual and you want to know more and weird as in you want to get away quickly.

Everybody has an element of the first definition where as the second type you hope to avoid.

Lots of variables but I think regardless of context my instinctive answer would be to ask "weird how?" - just the word weird isn't very informative. Like are you saying he's a creepy sex pest or are you saying he's a unicycling hipster or are you being a judgy bitch about a mutual friend, in which case cut it out.

Not socially acceptable. Unfortunately. If we were able to trust our instincts and avoid people we found weird, we’d be better off.

I call myself weird. If the shoe fits.

It depends. But I wouldn't be so blatant till I'd read the room. I'd probably start by saying 'oh, you know Kevin?' then if they do but no further response 'what do you think of him?' then see if others were feeling similar.

If they weren't I'd still say if I found him maybe unusual, introverted. Extroverted. A little annoying possibly. But I wouldn't want to be unnecessarily cruel.

But as I say it depends on what he did to make you think him weird. And if I saw him as a friend.

I thought that we had got past stigmatising people in this way.

I had hoped we now recognised people have a right to be different, providing they aren't harming any one else.

Describing people as weird is downright offensive .

I have been described as weird, and wasn't offended - there are worse things to be called.

Need more info.

For example if you know someone well then weird is fine but if you don’t really know them then it could be seen as a bit mean because you don’t really know them and you’re going by “vibes”

I always think how would I feel if someone said it about me. Would you mind if someone described you that way?

I googled synonyms for eccentric, and one of the suggestions was "weird". Google’s English dictionary is provided by Oxford Languages.