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

Westview Abbey, the grand mausoleum that looms over the back of the property like a castle on a moor, holds the remains of more than 11,000 souls and exudes an air of eerie stillness. — Jim Auchmutey, AJC.com, 21 Oct. 2026

De Palma’s sequence followed that moment with an eerie silence, the only sound that of the clanking empty bucket, before all hell breaks loose. — ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026

The story centers on The Apollyon, a mysterious and eerie residential building in New York City connected to a portal to Hell in its basement. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026

The eerie experience inspired Sevigny to produce and star in Lizzie, the 2018 film reimagining the infamous crime. — Lydia Price, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 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