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 of eerie

• haunting
• creepy

Choose the Right Synonym for eerie

weird, eerie, uncanny mean mysteriously strange or fantastic.

weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

Examples of eerie in a Sentence

The flames cast an eerie glow.

a land of eerie beauty

Recent Examples on the Web

Better to think of this less as a story than a mood, a procession of unsettling dream logic strung together by cinematographer Jeremy Cox’s gorgeous and eerie shots. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025

Even more than the finished show, this eerie, perplexing multi-Gaga spectacle feels like a glimpse into her subconscious. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025

As video of the robot's fall makes the rounds, some people have found the footage funny, while others described it as eerie and unsettling. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025

Photos show a distant, purple glow in Florida; a dazzling green and maroon gradient in Colorado; and an eerie, ghostly color floating in the sky above Iowa. —Joel Shannon, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (northern dialect) eri

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for eerie

• beery
• bleary
• cheery
• cirri
• dearie
• deary
• dreary
• kiri
• leary
• leery
• peery
• query

Kids Definition

eerie

adjective

ee·​rie

variants also eery

ˈi(ə)r-ē 

eerier; eeriest

: causing fear or uneasiness because of strangeness or gloominess

an eerie shadow

eerily

ˈir-ə-lē 

adverb

eeriness

ˈir-ē-nəs 

noun