EERIE Synonyms: 53 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

eerie

adjective

ˈir-ē

variants also eery

Definition of eerie next

as in creepy

fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic eerie noises would occasionally come from locked rooms in the castle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of eerie Written with intent and momentum, both musical and liberatory, pink balloons rips through snarling punk and eerie experimentalism to forge a better world. —

Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2024 As the music moves into the upper register, the thirds take on an eerie tinge, at least to ears accustomed to modern tuning. —

Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 There’s a digital painting of an eerie glasshouse overgrown with red roses by Zhang Xiaotong; Too Rich City, a digital video depicting a surreal Chinese cityscape; and a humorous digital comic by Tang Xinrui where a human are the ones ogled by fish at an aquarium. —

Ann Binlot, ARTnews.com, 29 Nov. 2024 The Winged Monkeys are the Wicked Witch's loyal servants in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, and instantly became iconic with their eerie, otherworldly design; their origin is never explained in the film, but the creatures made a lasting impression in pop culture. —

Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for eerie

Recent Examples of Synonyms for eerie

Adjective

The art direction helps maintain the creepy tension, making a bubbling pot of pumpkin soup look sinister and the click of staccato heels sound menacing.

Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Instead of petals shaped like a sweet white dog, Gulley got an array of flowers with creepy eyes peeking out; think less canine, more catastrophe.

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024