uncanny

adjective un·can·ny \ ˌən-ˈka-nē \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: uncanny in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

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

The uncanny resemblance Kim Jong Un bears to his grandfather has reportedly been exaggerated even further with the younger Kim modeling a similar haircut and wearing similar clothes.

— jamie tarabay, CNN, "Who is Kim Jong Un? Separating myth from fact," 5 June 2018
In a conversation for this series, Cutter Wood, the author of Love and Death in the Sunshine State, discussed the influence Pryor’s stand-up has had on his writing—especially in his uncanny ability to portray nonhuman characters.

— joe fassler, The Atlantic, "What Richard Pryor’s Stand-Up Can Teach Writers," 31 May 2018
From their first blind date to their cozy kitchen engagement, the TV movie captured many of the couple’s milestone moments — and Parisa Fitz-Henley and Murray Fraser’s uncanny resemblance to the real-life couple is worth a double take!

— erin hill, PEOPLE.com, "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance," 12 May 2018
Despite bearing an uncanny resemblance to Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Will Ferrell isn't exactly known for his musical chops.

— abby jones, Billboard, "Will Ferrell Tries Serenading Eva Longoria to Tears With 'My Heart Will Go On': Watch," 3 May 2018
Late-night comedians quipped that her bright white hair and pale features also imparted an uncanny resemblance to George Washington.

— Washington Post, "Barbara Bush brought plainspoken, grandmotherly style to DC," 18 Apr. 2018
The front half of the SR-10 bears an uncanny resemblance to the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russia's New Fighter Plane Has Backward Wings," 4 Mar. 2016
Charles Dickens had the uncanny ability to absorb the tiniest details of daily life and the mannerisms of people around Victorian London and present them on the page in literary Technicolor.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "The Case for Charles Dickens, the Science Communicator," 18 May 2018
The girls squealed at their great fortune: their dad, with his uncanny ability to turn bad situations into triumphs.

— Vogue, "Picking Up the Pieces as a Newly Single Mother," 13 May 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.