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

as in haunting

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

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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

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 As the book proceeds, James blurs his actors together, in slightly eerie ways. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 On the album cover, Wolfe is seen outdoors in the sunshine, but the setting is the eerie landscape of Mono Lake, California, with its strange rock formations representing another in a series of epic locations for the singer. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 31 Aug. 2026 Culture and History Crows and ravens have similarly eerie reputations as spooky harbingers of death or danger. — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026 Layered background sighs, a resonant lead vocal, autumnal acoustic guitar flickers, synths both eerie and trippy—James has all his tricks on tap. — Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for eerie

Recent Examples of Synonyms for eerie

Adjective

The comment takes on a haunting resonance three months later, after Panettiere was found unresponsive on a Sunday.

— Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
The result is a haunting portrait of social collapse whose power is premised on the words and faces of survivors.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of haunting

Adjective

After a brief stay in a very creepy hospital (unsettlingly empty) Hal and John reunite.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Meta is rolling out an obvious fix to make its AI glasses less creepy amid backlash over the glasses’ non-consensual recordings that have flooded the Internet.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of creepy

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eerie

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“Eerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eerie. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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