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 adverb
spookiness noun

Examples of spooky in a Sentence

The music was pretty spooky. a spooky horse shying at shadows
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 Last year, Kardashians decorations took a spookier turn, with the reality star’s house being decorated with creepy floating ghosts, witches brooms and piles of pumpkins in shades of traditional orange — plus green, white and hues of brown — and covered in sprawling vines. Kirsty Hatcher, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025 The spookiest season of the year is here, and nothing sets the mood for Halloween quite like a good scare. Caitlin White, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for spooky

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spooky was in 1854

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Cite this Entry

“Spooky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spooky. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

spooky

adjective
spookier; spookiest
1
: relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts
spooky houses
2
: skittish sense 2
a spooky horse
spookiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on spooky

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