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

Meanwhile, those of us on Earth will witness the same event as a total lunar eclipse, turning the moon a deep, eerie red. —Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2025

For 65 minutes, the moon will take on eerie shades of orange and red — a result of sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere. 5. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025

The Princeton, New Jersey, man accused of killing his former college athlete brother and a cat, allegedly with a knife and golf club, posted eerie messages to social media months ago. —Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 25 Feb. 2025

This psychological thriller follows Judith who uncovers terrifying corners of her new husband’s dark past while unlocking rooms in his eerie home. —Jake Richardson, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (northern dialect) eri

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for eerie

• beery
• bleary
• cheery
• cirri
• dearie
• deary
• dreary
• kiri
• leary
• leery
• peery
• query

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