Definition of uncannynext
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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 Sheepshead have the uncanny ability to snatch your bait so quickly that it’s gone before the bite even telegraphs to your rod tip. Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 Perrotta’s novels have been lavishly praised for their uncanny ability to articulate dark, often uncomfortable emotional truths of American culture, using humor and sharp observational skills to explore profound shifts in how people communicate and coexist. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026 The image qua image thereby becomes uncanny, slapstick, a bit ridiculous, a bit horrific—independent of its content. Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026 Meesha’s re-creation of Gobel’s physicality, facial expressions and speaking style is uncanny. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny
Adjective
  • Translation is a very mysterious thing because my goal is to create something that’s deeply equivalent but uses zero of the same words.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 June 2026
  • That is until their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances in the USSR, and the pair become CIA operatives.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 23 June 2026
Adjective
  • 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
  • Aurora is leading the charge with 200 superhuman truck drivers this year.
    Michael Bloom, CNBC, 29 May 2026
Adjective
  • Tree made eerie comments about his will just weeks before his death.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026
  • Ahead of his Annecy premiere, Variety spoke with Kadowaki about his technique, a singular blend of 2D animation and rotoscoping underlined the eerie atmosphere of his coming-of-age story.
    Kevin Giraud, Variety, 19 June 2026
Adjective
  • Bunnie Xo has shared a cryptic video on social media after news of her split from Jelly Roll surfaced.
    KiMi Robinson, USA Today, 18 June 2026
  • Jelly Roll is clarifying a cryptic post that's going viral amid his divorce from Bunnie Xo.
    Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026
Adjective
  • Three children were among those pulled to safety in a miraculous rescue that aired on state television.
    Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 25 June 2026
  • Instead, Marsh’s bomb opened the flood gates for the Phillies to score eight runs in the top of the ninth inning to absolutely stun the Nationals and its home crowd in a miraculous 14-9 victory on Tuesday night.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2026
Adjective
  • But what feels most haunting about the arc of then to now, about Smith’s unfathomable issues and woes — yet obvious heart and particularly evident quest to find himself in recent years — is that his words then were spoken with a sense of arrival and past tense.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 20 June 2026
  • One of the movie’s most haunting subplots involves prisoners, who are pulled from labor camps looking half-dead and subsequently folded into Michael Caine‘s soccer team at the Brit’s insistence, but possibly to his squad’s detriment.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 June 2026
Adjective
  • The mystic chords that bind us together matter more than any policy.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Operating within those parameters, the mystic outlands trend extends to some of the world’s most mesmerizing corners.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Dusty navy blue and shiny gold accents make this collection's decor feel even more magical.
    Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 June 2026
  • For over 40 years now, Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin has made some of the strangest, most beautiful movies in existence, films that replicate the magical qualities of cinema in its infancy, both paying tribute to Maddin’s influences and wryly satirizing them.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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