spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē 

spookier; spookiest

1

: strange, unsettling, or frightening in a way that suggests the supernatural : eerie, uncanny

[Caroline] Shaw's composition … is a mysterious and densely layered four-movement work … with vocalization and spookier in-between sounds that originate deep in the throat: moans, gasps, exhalations of breath.

—Gia Kourlas

Olivia Wilde's new film … owes a debt to many spooky dramas about the dark side of the suburbs—think The Stepford Wives, with even more of a sci-fi edge.

—David Sims

sometimes, specifically : relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts or spooks

Spooky stories of Hawaiian night marchers (ghosts of warriors and chiefs) lurking around bushes and walking the trail are often told, but these haunted tales are not true, according to Lopaka Kapanui, a Native Hawaiian master storyteller …

—Christina Hitt

2

: nervous, skittish

Dealing with Louisa when she was having an attack was very much like dealing with a spooky horse. You had to exude self-confidence …

—Jane Smiley

spookily

ˈspü-kə-lē 

adverb

spookiness

ˈspü-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• excitable
• nervous

Examples of spooky in a Sentence

The music was pretty spooky.

a spooky horse shying at shadows

Recent Examples on the Web

Prizes will be available for the funniest, spookiest and most creative costumes. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Oct. 2025

So why not use the year’s spookiest holiday as an excuse to get hyperspecific? —Samantha Allen, Them., 10 Oct. 2025

This year's buckets are a cute (and definitely not spooky) array of Halloween friends, including a friendly ghost, a black cat, the iconic jack-o'-lantern, a not-too-scary red zombie, and a green monster that would make Frankenstein proud. —Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2025

Not all Halloween outdoor pumpkin decor is spooky! —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē 

spookier; spookiest

1

: relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts

spooky houses

2

: skittish sense 2

a spooky horse

spookiness noun