Newborn adopted by holy man rejected as strange (8)
I believe the answer is:
abnormal
'strange' is the definition.
(both can mean unusual)
'newborn adopted by holy man rejected' is the wordplay.
'newborn' becomes 'ronb' (anagram of born - new ordering).
'adopted by' is an insertion indicator (I've seen this in other clues).
'holy man' becomes 'lama' (I've seen this in another clue).
'rejected' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'ronb' placed into 'lama' is 'lamronba'.
'lamronba' backwards is 'ABNORMAL'.
'as' is the link.
(Other definitions for abnormal that I've seen before include "Deviating from the standard" , "Anomalous" , "Exceptional; strange" , "The reverse of 32 Across" , "Deviant or unnatural" .)