spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē How to pronounce spooky (audio)
Definition of spookynext
1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature a spooky horse shying at shadows

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic a spooky tale of strange hauntings and mysterious reincarnations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 spooky The scene when Emily Blunt speaks in alien tongues was deeply spooky. — Adam Frank, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Rebecca Hall is an incredible horror heroine, turning in phenomenally spooky and pained performances in The Night House and Resurrection. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 12 June 2026 Neon released the first movie, with its marketing campaign cited as a blueprint for how to build anticipation for a spooky movie. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026 Paramount+ has bought Wild Cherry, the spooky BBC series from Nicôle Lecky, one of the UK’s most exciting creatives. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for spooky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooky
  1. excitable
  2. eerie
  3. nervous
  4. haunting
  5. creepy
Adjective
  • Ross doesn’t tend towards punch-the-air climaxes—just warm, excitable builds.
    — Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Shaffelburg’s boundless enthusiasm and high work rate led one LAFC staffer to liken him to an excitable golden retriever, a comparison the player did not challenge.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of excitable
Adjective
  • The higher the race climbed up the Puerto de El Morredero on stage 17, the blacker and more eerie the landscape became.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • And, apparently, the eerie pictures are turning people's stomachs.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of eerie
Adjective
  • The letter writer is almost 40 and nervous about living with a romantic partner for the first time.
    — Shane O’Neill, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026
  • That energy spike is reinforcing inflation worries in a bond market already nervous about America’s $40 trillion mountain of debt.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of nervous
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

Browse Nearby Words

spooks
spooky
spoon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spooky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooky. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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