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

The combination of eerie rubber gloves and makeup artist Emi Kaneko’s oxblood lip at Lii seemed to embody the spirit of the main character of the 2013 sci-fi thriller Under the Skin. —Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2026

The labyrinth of stalls, once a high-energy hub for gaming graphic cards and motherboards, is now engulfed in an eerie quiet. —Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026

This eerie sensation is further enhanced by elliptical editing that seamlessly skips back and forth in time across the span of just a few days, creating a sense of fluidity across what should feel discontinuous. —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Feb. 2026

The labyrinth of stalls, once a high-energy hub for gaming graphic cards and motherboards, is now engulfed in an eerie quiet. —Debby Wu, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026

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