uncanny

adjective

un·​can·​ny ˌən-ˈka-nē How to pronounce uncanny (audio)
uncannier; uncanniest
1
a
: seeming to have a supernatural character or origin : eerie, mysterious
b
: being beyond what is normal or expected : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers
an uncanny sense of direction
2
chiefly Scotland : severe, punishing
uncannily adverb
uncanniness noun

Did you know?

Uncanny describes that which unsettles us, such as disquieting observations, or mysterious situations and circumstances. Strip the word of its common negating prefix, though, and you’re left with canny, a word that shares semantic territory with clever and prudent. While canny and uncanny don’t appear to be antonyms, they both come from an early Scottish word canny meaning “free from risk; wise, prudent, cautious.” And in Scottish, canny has for centuries had a secondary meaning that correlates better to its mysterious cousin: the Oxford English Dictionary reports that the word is used in negative constructions to describe what is not safe to be involved with, or more broadly, what is not in accordance with what is right or natural. Rather uncanny.

Choose the Right Synonym for uncanny

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 uncanny in a Sentence

I was struck by his uncanny ability to communicate arcane, complex economic policy and by his punk-rock instinct to question the status quo. Bono, Time, 18 Apr. 2005
To an economist, the 1990s bear an uncanny resemblance to two earlier decades: the 1920s in the United States and the 1980s in Japan. In all three decades, technological change produced extraordinary economic growth, leading to talk of a "new era" and triggering a bull market in stocks that terminated in a market collapse—widely regarded as the bursting of a speculative bubble. Milton Friedman, Wall Street Journal, 22 Jan. 2002
As he approached quite close to the enclosure he saw an excited group surrounding the two fugitives, who, trembling with fright and exhaustion, were scarce able to recount the uncanny details of their adventure. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, 1914
She could not teach herself to think favourably of Pansy, whose absence of initiative, of conversation, of personal claims, seemed to her, in a girl of twenty, unnatural and even uncanny. Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady, 1881
She had an uncanny resemblance to someone I had seen before. She has an uncanny sense of direction. an uncanny ability to predict the weather
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The disruptions in flow call to mind the format of Be My Guest With Ina Garten, in which Ina both preps for a guest as well as cooks with them, but Meghan’s uncanny flashbacks somehow further untether the show from the reality of her not-kitchen. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025 Reality Blues wades into the mysteries of our uncanny world, trying to catch a vibe. Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 6 Mar. 2025 Childhood under threat As a child worker, Miss Huang might seem like an uncanny ghost of a bygone era of childhood. Anna Mae Duane, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025 Neil Irwin Feb 7, 2025 - Economy January jobs report indicates labor market's uncanny balance The U.S. labor market started 2025 — and President Trump's term — in a state of uncanny balance. Courtenay Brown, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for uncanny

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of uncanny was in 1773

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Cite this Entry

“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncanny. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

uncanny

adjective
un·​can·​ny ˌən-ˈkan-ē How to pronounce uncanny (audio)
1
2
: being beyond what is normal
an uncanny sense of direction
uncannily adverb
uncanniness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on uncanny

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