uncanny

adjective un·can·ny \ ˌən-ˈka-nē \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of uncanny

uncannier; uncanniest

1 a : seeming to have a supernatural character or origin : eerie, mysterious

b : being beyond what is normal or expected : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers

an uncanny sense of direction

2 chiefly Scotland : severe, punishing

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uncannily

play \ˌən-ˈka-nə-lē\ adverb

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uncanniness

play \ˌən-ˈka-nē-nəs\ noun

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Examples of uncanny in a Sentence

I was struck by his uncanny ability to communicate arcane, complex economic policy and by his punk-rock instinct to question the status quo. —Bono, Time, 18 Apr. 2005
To an economist, the 1990s bear an uncanny resemblance to two earlier decades: the 1920s in the United States and the 1980s in Japan. In all three decades, technological change produced extraordinary economic growth, leading to talk of a "new era" and triggering a bull market in stocks that terminated in a market collapse—widely regarded as the bursting of a speculative bubble. —Milton Friedman, Wall Street Journal, 22 Jan. 2002
As he approached quite close to the enclosure he saw an excited group surrounding the two fugitives, who, trembling with fright and exhaustion, were scarce able to recount the uncanny details of their adventure. —Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, 1914
She could not teach herself to think favourably of Pansy, whose absence of initiative, of conversation, of personal claims, seemed to her, in a girl of twenty, unnatural and even uncanny. —Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady, 1881
She had an uncanny resemblance to someone I had seen before.
She has an uncanny sense of direction.
an uncanny ability to predict the weather

Recent Examples of uncanny from the Web

Pelinka was a deadeye shooter and a reliable reserve, a good player defined by his uncanny proximity to elite players.

— lee jenkins, SI.com, "Summer of Showtime: Why All Eyes Will Be on the Lakers," 17 Apr. 2018
In Elgar’s concerto, Ioniţă displayed an uncanny sureness of intonation and a beauty of tone, no matter how far his fingers traveled on the strings or how high his lines soared.

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "A game of musical chairs and an impressive debut: Scaglione stellar with the San Diego Symphony," 7 Apr. 2018
Over nearly a decade, singer-songwriter Kari Kimmel has had uncanny success as an independent artist pitching her own material for television, film, trailers and commercials, all while keeping a relatively low public profile.

— colin stutz, Billboard, "Spotlight: How Singer-Songwriter Kari Kimmel Landed Hundreds of TV & Film Syncs on Her Own Terms," 5 Apr. 2018
Now, researchers have sequenced their genome for the first time—and have uncovered some of the secrets to their uncanny ability to survive in our urban jungles.

— kimberly hickok, Science | AAAS, "American cockroaches thrive in cities, thanks to their incredibly long genomes," 20 Mar. 2018
At some point in our lives, most of us have probably questioned our ESP abilities due to an uncanny connection with a friend.

— elly belle, Teen Vogue, "Friends’ Brains Work in Similar Ways, Study Finds," 7 Feb. 2018
Many following along on Twitter also noted that the cast’s distressed sweats and sneakers bore an uncanny resemblance to Kanye West’s Yeezy line.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "Jesus Christ Superstar," 2 Apr. 2018
There’s murder, poisonous snakes, and some really crude jokes that amplify its uncanny feel.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Rick and Morty Drops an Especially Confounding April Fool’s Parody Episode," 2 Apr. 2018
Apfel unveiled the toy March 15 on Instagram, debuting a figurine with an uncanny resemblance and a spot-on wardrobe.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Iris Apfel Just Became the Oldest Person to Have a Barbie Made After Her," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'uncanny.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Weird and eerie are synonyms of uncanny, but there are subtle differences in the meanings of the three words. Weird may be used to describe something that is generally strange or out of the ordinary. Eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that some kind of mysterious and malign powers are at work, while uncanny, which debuted in the 18th century, implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness. English also has a word canny, but canny and uncanny should not be interpreted as opposites. Canny, which first appeared in English in the 16th century, means "clever," "shrewd" or "prudent," as in "a canny lawyer" or "a canny investment."

First Known Use of uncanny

1773

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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uncanny Synonyms

Synonyms

magical, miraculous, phenomenal, preternatural, superhuman, supernatural, supernormal, transcendent, transcendental, unearthly;

Near Antonyms

average, commonplace, everyday, ordinary, prosaic, routine, run-of-the-mill, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, usual, workaday;

expected, familiar, predictable;

common, customary, frequent, habitual, regular, wonted;

baffling, bewildering, confounding, mystifying, perplexing, puzzling, shocking;

aberrant, atypical, fantastic (also fantastical), flaky, freak, freakish, idiosyncratic, marvelous (or marvellous), prodigious, rare, singular, uncommon, unique, unnatural, unusual;

Synonym Discussion of uncanny

weird, eerie, uncanny mean mysteriously strange or fantastic. weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress queerness or oddness.