Synonyms of eerie

eerie

adjective

ˈir-ē 

variants also eery

as in creepy

fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic

eerie noises would occasionally come from locked rooms in the castle

Synonyms & Similar Words

• creepy
• weird
• haunting
• spooky
• uncanny
• bizarre
• unearthly
• unusual
• odd
• terrifying
• ghostly
• spectral
• horrible
• ghoulish
• peculiar
• spookish
• ghastly
• quirky
• mysterious
• ghostlike
• quaint
• curious
• terrible
• uncommon
• outlandish
• outré
• puzzling
• metaphysical
• supernatural
• enigmatic
• horrifying
• inscrutable
• dreadful
• enigmatical
• preternatural
• unaccustomed
• queerish
• fearsome

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• normal
• common
• usual
• ordinary
• typical
• commonplace
• routine
• everyday
• natural
• prosaic
• unremarkable
• familiar
• unexceptional
• predictable
• expected

Synonym Chooser

How is the word eerie distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words uncanny and weird are common synonyms of eerie. While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

When is it sensible to use uncanny instead of eerie?

While in some cases nearly identical to eerie, uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

When can weird be used instead of eerie?

The words weird and eerie are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of eerie

The cemetery was only sporadically maintained by its caretaker, and raking the long grass gave me the eerie feeling of running my fingers through a child’s hair. —Hazlitt, 2 Apr. 2025

Backed by an eerie beat, the track revisits their promiscuous, party lifestyle with hedonistic lyricism. —Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2025

How eerie/prescient was that measles storyline, seeing as how the penultimate episode was obviously written months before the current outbreak in Texas? —Rebecca Luther, TVLine, 4 Apr. 2025

Related article An eerie spiral lit up the European skies. —Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2025