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 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 early episodes combine the nail-biting tension of Gravity with the eerie dread of a haunted house, to deliciously spooky effect. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 Oscar-winner Bardem (No Country For Old Men, Being the Ricardos) is a newcomer to the Murphy-verse, while Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry, Big Love) previously appeared in American Horror Story: Asylum and American Horror Story: Hotel, the second and fifth installments of Murphy’s spooky anthology. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 15 Jan. 2024 Her next project is the spooky anthology tale Valara. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2024 The 95-minute performance opened with the album title splashed across the screen as melting birthday candles gave way to a video that showed Rodrigo running down a spooky hallway toward a door. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 25 Feb. 2024 Winchester Mystery House is adding some spooky springtime events to its calendar with Paranormal Investigation with TAPS West Coast and Halfway to Halloween Flashlight Tours. Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 This book is purported to be the first in a line using the name that revitalizes the spooky sourcebooks that detailed the important places in this part of the classic 1920s New England setting. Rob Wieland, Forbes, 22 Feb. 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 18 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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