UN CANNIEST 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 Cops released surveillance photos of the shooter, whose getup bore an uncanny resemblance to the Marvel character Deadpool. — Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 17 Oct. 2026 The Heeler family home is recreated in uncanny detail—from Bandit’s armchair to the backyard barbecue—with interactive games led by a cheeky garden gnome named Rhonda, music, and secret nooks that delight kids and grown-ups. — Alli Forde, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2026 Joke theft, a phenomenon predating the art form of stand-up comedy, has entered an uncanny new era. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 Its obvious artificiality and absurdity fit neatly into an online meme culture that often revels in the uncanny. — Angela Yang, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for uncanny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny

Adjective

All the power of the government — investigative, technological, legal — has been thrown at finding these mysterious, diabolically clever ballot baddies.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
After all, what better place to reveal the mysterious professor’s identity than in the very magazine responsible for making the fictional detective an international sensation?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of mysterious

Adjective

In polyphonic music such as Bach, Van Bloss offers a superhuman degree of precision and individuality.

— Mike Hamersly, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
The Dodgers entered the postseason with the best rotation of any team on paper, led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who proved to be practically superhuman in the World Series last year.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of superhuman

Adjective

Graveyards, which would seem haunted by definition, are popular destinations, and a few in the state are legendary for their eerie atmospheres and ghost sightings.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
See 15 inflatables and eight animatronics lining the lawn, creating a scene that’s both eerie and whimsical to delights neighbors.

— Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of eerie

Adjective

Here’s a prime example of a more cryptic style of clue that sometimes pops up in late-week puzzles.

— Sean McGowan, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Kermode was curious, if not slightly annoyed about all this cryptic communication and the request for a secret rendezvous.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of cryptic

Adjective

This entry is almost too broad, but no trip to Jackson is complete without a trip through this miraculous wonder—whether on foot, wheels, or water.

— Lindsay Cohn, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Many participate in the miraculous art of flying and maintaining enormous airplanes, or picking up cargo to take across our greater multi-county region of millions.

— Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of miraculous

Adjective

What unfolds is a heartbreaking, at times haunting story about a little boy who strove to become a legend, and the woman who understood his manic, at times reckless drive.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
For decades, the 1934 photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was a haunting image of a lost world.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of haunting

Adjective

Take The Night Veils, for example, which seeks to capture the spirit of the night through fragrances that can best be described as primal and mystic.

— Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Two translations—of poems by the Indian mystic Mirabai and the contemporary Romanian poet Radu Vancu—seek to inhabit and transcend the history that holds up the present.

— Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of mystic

Adjective

In 2026, the gemlike Brooklyn venue lent Kushner’s project a magical quality, turning the audience into ghosts from the future, eavesdropping on the fall of the Weimar Republic but unable to intervene.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
But the familiarity of the fantasy elements and the brusqueness with which they’re treated would be forgivable if Wildwood did a better job exploring how the real world connects to the magical side of the story.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of magical

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uncanniness

uncanny

uncaring

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“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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