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

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

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

As the sun began to set over Castaic Lake on Wednesday, the hills to the north and east were engulfed in flames, casting an eerie orange glow across the valley below. —Wally Skalij, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Capturing the Mood: From sunlight, snowfall, and shadows to candlelight and complicated camera moves, see how each visually rich detail contributes to Nosferatu’s incredibly eerie atmosphere. —Tim Lammers, Forbes, 22 Jan. 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