variants also eery

Synonym Chooser

How is the word eerie distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words uncanny and weird are common synonyms of eerie. While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

When is it sensible to use uncanny instead of eerie?

While in some cases nearly identical to eerie, uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

When can weird be used instead of eerie?

The words weird and eerie are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

Examples of eerie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Fueled by a late-summer heat wave, several large wildfires have been burning across the Western US, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and turning the sky in parts of Southern California an eerie orange. Benji Jones, Vox, 14 Sep. 2024 Passers-by trigger the surface to light an eerie blue while a silhouette materializes, dragging its hands up and down. Nora Colomer, Fox News, 13 Sep. 2024 The air won’t stop filling with acrid smoke, and the sky has turned from blue to an eerie orange. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2024 Cue eerie body-switching montages and meltdowns shot with neon lights. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for eerie 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eerie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near eerie

Cite this Entry

“Eerie.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eerie. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on eerie

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