eerie

adjective

ee·​rie ˈir-ē 

variants or less commonly eery

eerier; eeriest

1

: so mysterious, strange, or unexpected as to send a chill up the spine

a coyote's eerie howl

the similarities were eerie

also : seemingly not of earthly origin

the flames cast an eerie glow

2

chiefly Scotland : affected with fright : scared

eeriness

ˈir-ē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• creepy
• haunting
• spookish
• spooky
• uncanny
• unearthly
• weird

Choose the Right Synonym for eerie

weird, eerie, uncanny mean mysteriously strange or fantastic.

weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

Examples of eerie in a Sentence

The flames cast an eerie glow.

a land of eerie beauty

Recent Examples on the Web

Madness on the Wind The eerie effects of the Foehn—folklore or fact? Hold the Line As telephony developed, so did a workforce of switchboard operators—all women—who were ultimately rendered obsolete by technological progress. —JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024

The consonant-ridden name and eerie, 1990s-esque op-art logo recall its underdog, start-up roots rather than its current reality: a behemoth cornering the AI chips market. —Alena Botros, Fortune, 21 June 2024

Something to take us out of our day-to-day lives in a year defined by quarantine and strife, and into a realm where eerie and uncanny things can happen without explanation. —Constance Grady, Vox, 18 June 2024

Sharks of the Dead Zone premieres at 9 p.m. ET/PT: Significant marine pollution and algal bloom outbreaks are creating eerie dead zones in North America’s most biodiverse estuary. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 13 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (northern dialect) eri

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

eerie

adjective

ee·​rie

variants also eery

ˈi(ə)r-ē 

eerier; eeriest

: causing fear or uneasiness because of strangeness or gloominess

an eerie shadow

eerily

ˈir-ə-lē 

adverb

eeriness

ˈir-ē-nəs 

noun