Definition of UNCANNY

Choose the Right Synonym for uncanny

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

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."

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 on the Web

The front shock, hidden inside the steerer tube, has five settings, and the bike disguises choppy terrain to an uncanny degree while still feeling fast. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Road Bikes for Every Cyclist," 8 May 2019 In fact, most adults never attain the kind of maturity that allows for Osaka’s uncanny balance of self-confidence and humility. — Louisa Thomas, Vogue, "The New Number One: Naomi Osaka Is Playing to Win," 21 Mar. 2019 Other landers found only patchy evidence of the past life of Mars, but Opportunity unlocked ancient lake beds and truly uncanny evidence for a wet and warm past on the Red Planet. — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "NASA Says Goodnight to Opportunity, Its Most Enduring Mars Rover," 13 Feb. 2019 Though many have tried—with Black Mirror perhaps coming closest in recent years—no one has truly matched the uncanny achievements of Rod Serling's anthology series. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "The Twilight Zone Is Coming Back. Here's Everything We Know About the Jordan Peele Reboot.," 30 Jan. 2019 Casdon's Dyson Ball Vacuum toy is an uncanny replica of a real Dyson vacuum. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "Dyson Is Selling a $30 Toy Vacuum for Kids That Actually Works," 27 Nov. 2018 Arkham Horror Third Edition is a classic struggle of agency versus impotence, set in the uncanny world of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos. — Charlie Theel, Ars Technica, "Arkham Horror Third Edition: The classic Lovecraft adventure returns," 24 Nov. 2018 Yes, yes and having an uncanny instinct for where to find these small companies. — Fox News, "Has China been duping the US for nearly half a century?," 13 Aug. 2018 During the performance, Twitter went wild as viewers posted side-by-side photos of their furniture and The Voice judge's outfit because the resemblance was truly uncanny. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Adam Levine’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Attire Really Resembled Vintage Furniture," 4 Feb. 2019

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.