1
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic
uncanny and unexpected shadows along the mountainsides
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of uncanny
The Panthers have shown an uncanny ability to bounce back.
—
Mike Kaye
december 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
Even as the technology advances, the uncanny valley remains a stubborn barrier.
—Josh Rottenberg, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025
Like so many humanoids, Apollo exemplifies the uncanny, hyperreal nature of modern robotics, simultaneously an image from science fiction and a real, tangible machine.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Throughout his career, Van Sant has had an uncanny knack for working with actors who are about to explode into a bigger realm of stardom because of their collaboration with him.
—Scott Huver, Variety, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Mike Kaye
december 31, Charlotte Observer, 31 Dec. 2025
Even as the technology advances, the uncanny valley remains a stubborn barrier.
—Josh Rottenberg, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025
Like so many humanoids, Apollo exemplifies the uncanny, hyperreal nature of modern robotics, simultaneously an image from science fiction and a real, tangible machine.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Throughout his career, Van Sant has had an uncanny knack for working with actors who are about to explode into a bigger realm of stardom because of their collaboration with him.
—Scott Huver, Variety, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny
Adjective
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Not to mention the titular bugs, a swarm of blood-invading creatures discovered by her new lover, the mysterious drifter Peter Evans (Namir Smallwood).—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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The Columbus, Ohio, police chief is speaking out for the first time since the mysterious murders of dentist Spencer Tepe and his wife, Monique Tepe.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The near-term threat is not superhuman machines but the decline of thinking, feeling, and social humans.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
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McHale stars as Frank Shaw, an overqualified, over-opinionated Animal Control officer who has an almost superhuman ability to understand animals.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
28 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Officials have released eerie surveillance footage capturing a ‘person of interest’ in the unsolved murders of an Ohio dentist and his wife, who were gunned down inside their home.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Following the murder of their father, siblings Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) are relocated to his eerie Victorian estate in Massachusetts.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In recent weeks, fans expressed concern after Spears posted dancing videos but opted to turn off comments on posts that had cryptic captions about her kids, Jayden James, 19, and Sean Preston, 20.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dropped a cryptic hint that a blockbuster trade was coming, and after the team acquired linebacker Logan Wilson from the Cincinnati Bengals, many fans and analysts criticized Jones for overdelivering.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Some miraculous news, unexpected news.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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Blüemlisalphütte, its red and white shutters glinting in the miraculous sudden sunlight.—
Lucy Kehoe,
AFAR Media,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The ultimate Christmastime tradition ought to be repeat viewings of BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas TV movie series, and its pinnacle, the haunting Whistle and I'll Come to You (available on AMC+ and YouTube).—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
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And, in several haunting instances, scenes aboard his helicopter.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Helena, meanwhile, was supposedly a mystic receiving directions from spiritual masters hidden in the Himalayas.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
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This was the danger Madison considered — that mystic memory would falsely elevate the Constitution.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Set on Christmas Eve, this adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's beloved 1985 children's book follows a young boy whose waning belief in Santa Claus is reinvigorated after hopping on a magical train to the North Pole.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
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Now, even some areas of the magical Okavango Delta have become busy.—
Elizabeth Gordon,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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