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

The Ghost Fungus Words fail to describe the eerie glow of Omphalotus nidiformis. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024

In fact, these eerie, soundproof spaces are the direct descendants of the ghost army’s original need to experiment with how sound could be manipulated without disturbing the public. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2024

Imagine a glow-in-the-dark designer desk, or wooden fence posts that guide you home with their eerie light. —Michael Irving, New Atlas, 1 Dec. 2024

Note the eerie similarity between Bush's election results and Trump's: the numbers are virtually identical—a clear win, but hardly a crush. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 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