spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē 

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

ˈspü-kə-lē 

adverb

spookiness

ˈspü-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• excitable
• nervous

Examples of spooky in a Sentence

The music was pretty spooky.

a spooky horse shying at shadows

Recent Examples on the Web

Milky Pink Despite the influence of the upcoming spooky season, many beauty aficionados will still want to brighten their days with a touch of pink on their nails. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 6 Sep. 2025

From spooky Halloween teen shows to mysteries to supernatural programs, the list has a wide variety of high-quality, compelling shows that will give you all the fall feels. —Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Annabelle wants souls, demons possess you by puking into your mouth, and no powers of darkness are stronger than the love between spooky mom and dad, Ed and Lorraine Warren. —Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

The fear lingers because black holes are spooky and the machine is enormous, but the science and the decade-plus of safe running don’t support doomsday. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē 

spookier; spookiest

1

: relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts

spooky houses

2

: skittish sense 2

a spooky horse

spookiness noun