eerie
adjective
ee·rie ˈir-ē 
variants or less commonly eery
eerier; eeriest
1
: so mysterious, strange, or unexpected as to send a chill up the spine
a coyote's eerie howl
the similarities were eerie
also : seemingly not of earthly origin
the flames cast an eerie glow
2
chiefly Scotland : affected with fright : scared
eeriness
ˈir-ē-nəs
noun 
Synonyms
- creepy
- haunting
- spookish
- spooky
- uncanny
- unearthly
- weird
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The flames cast an eerie glow. a land of eerie beauty
Recent Examples on the Web Stress just seems to melt away in the face of such expanse and eerie quiet. 
Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Aug. 2022 In search of Yellowstone season 5 updates, fans headed over to the show’s Instagram and stumbled across a familiar but eerie scene between Jamie and Kayce (Luke Grimes). Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022 The lyrics and melody are both eerie and hypnotic, and serve as a glimpse into the self-reflective state Kish has been in. Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 12 July 2022 The bass pedal points, held longer than an individual singer could maintain, are eerie in a choir. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2022 After all the sirens and the yelling, the midafternoon silence was eerie, jarring. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 28 May 2022 The white collar workers stopped commuting, shops closed, the buzz of downtown became an eerie silence. Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2022 In 2020, an eerie silence enveloped the track when no fans were allowed because of the pandemic and the race was pushed back to September. Tim Bielik, cleveland, 7 May 2022 The spoils of victory that filled the room the night before were replaced by an eerie silence that already has an all-too-familiar ring to the Angels. Mike Digiovannastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2022 See More
Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Aug. 2022 In search of Yellowstone season 5 updates, fans headed over to the show’s Instagram and stumbled across a familiar but eerie scene between Jamie and Kayce (Luke Grimes). Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, 10 Aug. 2022 The lyrics and melody are both eerie and hypnotic, and serve as a glimpse into the self-reflective state Kish has been in. Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 12 July 2022 The bass pedal points, held longer than an individual singer could maintain, are eerie in a choir. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 June 2022 After all the sirens and the yelling, the midafternoon silence was eerie, jarring. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 28 May 2022 The white collar workers stopped commuting, shops closed, the buzz of downtown became an eerie silence. Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2022 In 2020, an eerie silence enveloped the track when no fans were allowed because of the pandemic and the race was pushed back to September. Tim Bielik, cleveland, 7 May 2022 The spoils of victory that filled the room the night before were replaced by an eerie silence that already has an all-too-familiar ring to the Angels. Mike Digiovannastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English (northern dialect) eri
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
eerie
adjective
ee·rie ˈir-ē
eerier; eeriest
: causing fear and uneasiness : strange
an eerie coincidence
eerie
adjective
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
Relevance
- creepy
- haunting
- weird
- spooky
- uncanny
- unearthly
- bizarre
- unusual
- terrifying
- ghostly
- odd
- ghoulish
- ghostlike
- spectral
- peculiar
- horrible
- ghastly
- mysterious
- quirky
- spookish
- quaint
- terrible
- curious
- outlandish
- uncommon
- horrifying
- outré
- enigmatic
- puzzling
- supernatural
- metaphysical
- dreadful
- inscrutable
- preternatural
- queerish
- fearsome
- enigmatical
- unaccustomed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- normal
- common
- usual
- ordinary
- typical
- commonplace
- natural
- routine
- everyday
- unremarkable
- prosaic
- familiar
- unexceptional
- predictable
- expected
Synonym Chooser
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
While in some cases nearly identical to eerie, uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.
an uncanny resemblance between total strangers
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
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