Stuff has over a dozen dictionary definitions for the noun form alone. The sense of “personal belongings” (all his stuff) is the focus here. If the stuff in question is composed of things used for a particular purpose (drug paraphernalia; sewing paraphernalia), or of memorabilia and other themed items (Grateful Dead paraphernalia), paraphernalia is a strong synonym. But there is another, much less common sense of paraphernalia that means “personal belongings.” Historically, paraphernalia was women’s stuff: as a legal term it meant things a woman owned that were not included in her dowry and therefore not her husband’s property—usually clothing and personal items. So paraphernalia could be an interesting synonym for stuff (a purse jammed with her paraphernalia) if its predominant association with illegal drug use doesn’t interfere with the intended meaning.

There’s no consensus on what ingredients belong in ambrosia salad, the traditional Thanksgiving treat—or on whether it actually is a treat—but we’re certain that the word ambrosia comes from a Greek word for the food (or drink or anointing oil) of the gods, which was believed to confer immortality. The English adjective, ambrosial, describes something unusually delicious or fragrant—heavenly, you could say. Ambrosial food, wine, nectar, tea, and scent are some of its most frequent uses. With the adjective ambrosial, you can turn a cocktail into an elixir of youth.

Both words suggest something distinctly out of the ordinary that excites fear or curiosity. Strange is the more common, broader term with a number of dictionary definitions. It can refer to something unfamiliar (strange faces) or a subjective state (felt strange), but the sense pertinent here refers to something that is unusual, odd, or extraordinary: strange sounds; strange behavior. Strange often implies causing uneasiness or fear, but the effects of uncanny can be downright eerie. Something uncanny is out of the ordinary but also hard to believe or account for, so that it sometimes evokes the supernatural: uncanny intuition; an uncanny ability to know what I’m thinking. Resemblances are one of uncanny’s most frequent uses in addition to uncanny similarities and uncanny impersonations.