spookier; spookiest
1
: strange, unsettling, or frightening in a way that suggests the supernatural : eerie, uncanny
[Caroline] Shaw's composition … is a mysterious and densely layered four-movement work … with vocalization and spookier in-between sounds that originate deep in the throat: moans, gasps, exhalations of breath.Gia Kourlas
Olivia Wilde's new film … owes a debt to many spooky dramas about the dark side of the suburbs—think The Stepford Wives, with even more of a sci-fi edge.David Sims
sometimes, specifically : relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts or spooks
Spooky stories of Hawaiian night marchers (ghosts of warriors and chiefs) lurking around bushes and walking the trail are often told, but these haunted tales are not true, according to Lopaka Kapanui, a Native Hawaiian master storyteller … Christina Hitt
2
: nervous, skittish
Dealing with Louisa when she was having an attack was very much like dealing with a spooky horse. You had to exude self-confidence …Jane Smiley
spookily adverb
spookiness noun

Examples of spooky in a Sentence

The music was pretty spooky. a spooky horse shying at shadows
Recent Examples on the Web Be sure to visit the Dungeon, the spooky back room, and have your photo taken with Michael Myers on his front porch. Maggie Kimberl, Travel + Leisure, 21 Mar. 2024 Production design by Adam Reamer engulfs Cecilia in the abbey’s majestic courtyards, spooky corridors and candlelit chambers like a figure in a fresco, immersed in menacing ritual and beauty. Jen Yamato, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 Sam Mercer, who produced eight M. Night Shyamalan films starting with the spooky blockbuster The Sixth Sense, has died. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 The 15th annual spooky film festival will take over Sharonville Convention Center. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 His spooky comments are included in a new Channel 5 documentary about the disaster, Minute by Minute: The Titan Sub Disaster. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Clear water often equals spooky trout that require accurate presentations and fewer mistakes. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 In low, clear water when trout are spooky, a bait presented on a dry fly or scud hook will drift more naturally with the current and that can mean the difference between a take and a pass. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024 Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's eldest child has found a new — and quite spooky — interest! Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spooky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spooky was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near spooky

Cite this Entry

“Spooky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spooky. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spooky

adjective
spookier; spookiest
1
: relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts
spooky houses
2
: skittish sense 2
a spooky horse
spookiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on spooky

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