UNCANNY Synonyms: 167 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'uncanny' distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words eerie and weird are common synonyms of uncanny . While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness. // an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

Q: In what contexts can 'eerie' take the place of 'uncanny'?

The words eerie and uncanny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work. // an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

Q: When would 'weird' be a good substitute for 'uncanny'?

Although the words weird and uncanny have much in common, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness. // weird creatures from another world

uncanny

adjective

ˌən-ˈka-nē

Definition of uncanny next

as in mysterious

being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain a number of uncanny parallels in the lives of the twins who had been separated at birth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in superhuman

being so extraordinary or abnormal as to suggest powers which violate the laws of nature an uncanny gift for knowing when someone, no matter how distant, needed help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in eerie

fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic uncanny and unexpected shadows along the mountainsides

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word uncanny distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words eerie and weird are common synonyms of uncanny. While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

In what contexts can eerie take the place of uncanny?

The words eerie and uncanny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

When would weird be a good substitute for uncanny?

Although the words weird and uncanny have much in common, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

Examples of uncanny in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Recent Examples on the Web In a tender performance by Adelaide Clemens—who, it must be said, bears an uncanny resemblance to Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea heroine, Michelle Williams—Essie is a calm port to Strings’s storm. —

Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024 The pair even reenacted Ice Cube's famous mean mug while on Conan back in 2015 and the resemblance was just too uncanny. —

Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024 The park’s enormous, illuminated face at its entrance bears an uncanny resemblance to the imagery from Scott’s ASTROWORLD—a carnival vibe that’s been a major part of his branding. —

Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2024 Protracted descriptions of drinking coffee or shopping at a grocery store are interspersed with philosophical musings about the search for meaning, which, when mixed with the uncanny, become genuinely unsettling. —

The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for uncanny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny

Adjective

The film, which sees Ash and his traveling companions Misty and Brock go to a mysterious island where they’re caught up in the ultrastrong legendary Pokémon Mewtwo’s revenge plot against the cruel world that created him, was a high-water mark for Pokémon.

James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2024
The deer, knowing by some mysterious means that his would-be slayer is a novice, stands still, looking with amusement at buck fever’s latest victim.

Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024