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

Fifteen years after owners switched off the rides for the last time, an eerie and rusted amusement park happily in decay in Seoul's outskirts has become one of the city's coolest attractions. — New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026

Maya Hawke will star as Judy Luptack, an investigator with a high-pressure case to find a missing teen camper from a prominent family, a disappearance that bears an eerie similarity to another 14 years ago. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026

Hathaway’s performance spans a broad and surprising spectrum of emotions, especially during an eerie séance scene. — Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026

The temperature dropped, and there was an eerie stillness in the air—and then, suddenly, there was darkness. — Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 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