spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē 

spookier; spookiest

1

: strange, unsettling, or frightening in a way that suggests the supernatural : eerie, uncanny

[Caroline] Shaw's composition … is a mysterious and densely layered four-movement work … with vocalization and spookier in-between sounds that originate deep in the throat: moans, gasps, exhalations of breath.

—Gia Kourlas

Olivia Wilde's new film … owes a debt to many spooky dramas about the dark side of the suburbs—think The Stepford Wives, with even more of a sci-fi edge.

—David Sims

sometimes, specifically : relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts or spooks

Spooky stories of Hawaiian night marchers (ghosts of warriors and chiefs) lurking around bushes and walking the trail are often told, but these haunted tales are not true, according to Lopaka Kapanui, a Native Hawaiian master storyteller …

—Christina Hitt

2

: nervous, skittish

Dealing with Louisa when she was having an attack was very much like dealing with a spooky horse. You had to exude self-confidence …

—Jane Smiley

spookily

ˈspü-kə-lē 

adverb

spookiness

ˈspü-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• excitable
• fiddle-footed
• flighty
• fluttery
• high-strung
• hyper
• hyperactive
• hyperexcitable
• hyperkinetic
• jittery
• jumpy
• nervous
• skittery
• skittish
• spasmodic

Examples of spooky in a Sentence

The music was pretty spooky.

a spooky horse shying at shadows

Recent Examples on the Web

With that being said, my personal favorite is the mystery room, featuring a spooky haunted house miniature display, as well as a crime solving display above the shelves. —American Booksellers Association, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2025

As a downpour drenches the men mid-song, the gentle shower turns into a torrent, with the water slowly rising to their knees, then their chests, as a pair of spooky sirens dive into the now chin-high flood. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2025

The new spooky venue within Vegas’ AREA15 District will open to the public on Aug. 14. —Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2025

New Zealand has quite a strong tradition of dark, spooky comedies. —John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē 

spookier; spookiest

1

: relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts

spooky houses

2

: skittish sense 2

a spooky horse

spookiness noun