UNCANNY Synonyms: 167 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'uncanny' distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words eerie and weird are common synonyms of uncanny . While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness. // an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

Q: In what contexts can 'eerie' take the place of 'uncanny'?

The words eerie and uncanny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work. // an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

Q: When would 'weird' be a good substitute for 'uncanny'?

Although the words weird and uncanny have much in common, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness. // weird creatures from another world

uncanny

adjective

ˌən-ˈka-nē

Definition of uncanny

as in mysterious

being beyond one's powers to know, understand, or explain a number of uncanny parallels in the lives of the twins who had been separated at birth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in superhuman

being so extraordinary or abnormal as to suggest powers which violate the laws of nature an uncanny gift for knowing when someone, no matter how distant, needed help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in eerie

fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic uncanny and unexpected shadows along the mountainsides

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word uncanny distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words eerie and weird are common synonyms of uncanny. While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

In what contexts can eerie take the place of uncanny?

The words eerie and uncanny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

When would weird be a good substitute for uncanny?

Although the words weird and uncanny have much in common, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of uncanny Other pairings are more uncanny, or at least invite further questions. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 That’s the interesting and sometimes uncanny thing, right? — Quanta Magazine, 25 June 2026 The same rickety rail-shooter from nearly three decades ago, glossed up with gorgeous environments and uncanny photorealistic animals. — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 24 June 2026 Yet many of Power’s shots possess an uncanny anonymity. — Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for uncanny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny

Adjective

In Season 1, the mysterious deep-space research vessel USCSS Maginot, which crash-lands on Earth.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 July 2026
And Miles starts to notice a mysterious woman in not just one of his photos.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026

Definition of mysterious

Adjective

After a disastrous incident turns the public against superheroes, the government creates a superhuman registration act that causes a deep rift among Avengers and other do-gooders along ideological lines.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Failing to score in five games at the 2010 World Cup is the only time Messi's superhuman standards dropped on this stage.

— Jay Harris, New York Times, 17 June 2026

Definition of superhuman

Adjective

As the Emcee, an eerie, contorted figure who represents the slow blackening of the city’s soul, Muscato picks up from a prestigious line of talent that includes Eddie Redmayne, Billy Porter and Matt Willis.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
Even when BookTok does rally around a quote-unquote serious writer—such as Sally Rooney or Ottessa Moshfegh—there is a veneer of genre favoritism and eerie self-identification.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 8 July 2026

Definition of eerie

Adjective

It was filled with brackets and parentheticals, written in different fonts and colors, much of it in capital letters, at once detailed and cryptic.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
His doctors speculated his infection might have been a rare case of cryptic transmission from sharing meals and bathrooms with his coworkers, one of whom apparently had a tapeworm infection.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026

Definition of cryptic

Adjective

Kunst said there were some undocumented claims of miraculous cures prior to when records of such occurrences would be kept, dating back to the 1950s.

— Vivian Wilson, Twin Cities, 8 July 2026
Argentina began to mount their counter attack with a 79th minute goal from Cristian Romero followed by Messi's 83rd minute goal, and finally a stoppage time goal for Enzo Fernández to improbably lift Argentina over Egypt in a miraculous comeback.

— Mason Leib, ABC News, 7 July 2026

Definition of miraculous

Adjective

The couple made their relationship public in 2008 and went on to appear together in Kelly Reichardt's haunting neo-Western Meek's Cutoff (2010).

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
Her mainstream breakthrough — and legacy-making performance — arrived with a haunting performance as stalker superfan Annie Wilkes in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery.

— Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026

Definition of haunting

Adjective

His guru, Ramakrishna, was a 19th-century mystic and spiritual teacher in Bengal whose teachings on the unity underlying all religions shaped the worldview Vivekananda would go on to spread globally.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 July 2026
In Mozart’s opera, Tamino, a prince in a fairyland of mystic temples and mystifying gods, relies on his supernatural flute that turn sorrow into joy to get him out of jams.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026

Definition of mystic

Adjective

The jokes about a modern couple trapped in a magical town stuck more than 200 years in the past hit the mark with just the right amount of bawdy fun.

— Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
That bit is magical and a joy to watch but the way that Messi shifts the ball and shoots at the end of that dribble is brilliant, too.

— Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 10 July 2026

Definition of magical

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uncanny

uncaring

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“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of uncanny

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