eerie

1 of 2

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

eeriness

2 of 2

noun

ee·​ri·​ness -rēnə̇s 

-rin-

plural -es

1

: inexplicable fear

private distresses, a streak of eeriness, dark moods

—Times Literary Supplement

2

: the quality or state of being eerie

Synonyms of eerie

Adjective

• 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

Adjective

The flames cast an eerie glow.

a land of eerie beauty

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The eerie glow of an orange sun through thick wildfire smoke might be unnerving, but the biggest risk from the haze is something much harder to see. — Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026

Gu-cheon meets the massive, faceless spirit-figure on the rocky shores of an eerie island. — Kayti Burt, Time, 17 July 2026

Yet the disorienting scale of the image and Ludwig Göransson’s pulsing, ethereal score yield an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere. — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026

If Walt Disney World is the happiest place on Earth, then Burj Al Babas in northwestern Türkiye might be the eeriest. — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English (northern dialect) eri

First Known Use

Adjective

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