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

Every family has photos like this: a man posing with what is likely a prized possession, a Brownie camera; a woman in a living room chair looking unamused by the photographer; a trio of joyful young girls given an eerie overlay from a double exposure or developing mishap. —April White, JSTOR Daily, 17 Feb. 2025

Lurking around every corner is an eerie feeling that something, or someone, may be watching you. —Megan Dubois, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2025

If that ultimate Othering, however, is the eerie unseen image that Büyükatalay aimed for, then perhaps his film too can join the wide swathe of history that has adjudicated book burnings. —Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2025

The trailer opens with a clip of Lizzo sobbing while looking at the camera over the eerie sound of a flute playing. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025

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