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Synonym Chooser

How is the word uncanny distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words eerie and weird are common synonyms of uncanny. While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

In what contexts can eerie take the place of uncanny?

The words eerie and uncanny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

When would weird be a good substitute for uncanny?

Although the words weird and uncanny have much in common, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uncanny This isn’t the first time Foxx has dazzled with his uncanny ability to impersonate. Luke Chinman, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025 Like all finishers, Pastrnak is uncanny about getting open. Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025 The uncanny resilience of U.S. power lies in its structural strengths. Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025 While soon-to-be-superstar Patrick Mahomes was spending 2017 as an apprentice behind Alex Smith, another quarterback phenom was dazzling the NFL with his exceptional arm and uncanny ability to improvise and extend plays. Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for uncanny 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny
Adjective
  • The groundbreaking find, the researchers claim, could reshape our understanding of the universe and its most powerful and mysterious signals.
    Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2025
  • Several years later, Hoffa disappeared under mysterious circumstances and was never seen again.
    David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • If so, human production will be of the superhuman variety such that fewer babies being born will individually produce on the level of hundreds and thousands of babies from the present and past.
    John Tamny, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
  • And still Notre Dame closed it to 31-23 late, but could not contain superhuman freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
    Chris Branch, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • But Lynch, who died last week, at seventy-eight, made films in which every cheerful surface seemed to obscure an eerie reality.
    Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Fred Rogers was beaten with a hammer, and his wife Edwina was killed with a single gunshot to the head Comments The gruesome murders of a Houston couple 60 years ago remain one of the most eerie unsolved cases in the city’s history.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Both Trista and Ryan were in the news over the summer after Ryan posted cryptic messages on his Instagram account.
    Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Then, a hacker breaks in, posts a cryptic message, and triggers Wentworth's expanding investigation into a global struggle over truth and information.
    Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Not even the most miraculous shot of his life was enough to earn Nikola Jokic the fourth quarter off this time.
    Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2025
  • No, this isn’t a miraculous leadership makeover that infuses you with supernatural energy.
    Liz Guthridge, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The secret-weapon character who makes the more haunting impression is Agnes, whose chignon hides a rebellious spirit underneath — as well as a furtive romance with the stable boy, Isak (Malte Gårdinger).
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
  • It was released by Disney, an implausible partner for a filmmaker known for haunting, surrealistic and often deeply disturbing movies.
    Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Healy Lake members have long considered their dogs to be mystic companions, according to Combs.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2024
  • But there is also the slow minimalism of Morton Feldman and the manic yet patient seeking of Italy’s mystic count Giacinto Scelsi, in the twentieth century.
    The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Set in New York City with a magical sixth borough, the Unsleeping City party had to battle monsters that crossed over from other D20 campaigns.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025
  • This is why Venusian themes (love, beauty, creativity, pleasure and relationships) tend to feel magical and otherworldly during this time.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 26 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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