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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 Until then, get to know the woman with an uncanny resemblance to Caitríona Balfe’s Claire and her fascinating entry into the Outlander universe. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 8 Aug. 2025 This is the uncanny: when something familiar, like your face, appears out of place and out of context. Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025 Far more common problems, however, are fillers and Botox, whose plumping and paralysis can read as uncanny and emotionless on camera. Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2025 But even walled-garden YouTube spaces like YouTube Kids are full of freakazoid AI cartoons; uncanny, disturbing IP ripoffs; and kid influencers who turn their whole houses into ball pits and unbox their constant procession of brand-new toys. Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 29 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny
Adjective
  • Dano, meanwhile, is up to something much more mysterious and mannered, speaking in a gentle singsong that takes a little bit of getting used to.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The Naked Gun also stars Anderson as Beth Davenport, who teams with Frank to investigate billionaire tech guru Richard Caine (Danny Huston), who is the prime suspect in connection with the mysterious death of Beth’s brother.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Victor fine-tunes his research, and eventually succeeds in bringing to life a patchwork man of superhuman strength, put together with body parts plucked from corpses left behind on a battlefield.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 Aug. 2025
  • As medical students, it's seen as a strength to stay up all night, work 100 hours a week, say yes to everything asked of you, and perform your duties with an almost superhuman level of perfection, Ehrenfeld said.
    Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Take the quiz here … STONE SECRET – 'Very unusual' ancient head with eerie smile unearthed by archaeology student.
    , FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Additionally, Halloween's cinematic past is making a comeback in 2025 with the return of the Addams family, so get ready for all things dark, eerie, yet playful.
    Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • However, it was discovered earlier this week that a recent, almost silent, filing with the SEC suggests their next frontier is something far more cryptic.
    Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The library’s encyclopedias, clear and sedative beside the Bible’s cryptic thrills, still misled; Ruth lived for decades in an alternate reality containing Zanzibar and dipsomania.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The plant’s miraculous feat of survival may seem as enigmatic as its ancestry, but the two are likely connected, according to Welch’s colleague Dr. Greg Grant, the Smith County horticulturist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
    Jessica Jordan, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2025
  • This is a nearly miraculous achievement for a stove setup this small and light (8 ounces).
    Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In Davies’s incandescent and haunting masterwork, named the best movie of 2017 by Reverse Shot, Cynthia Nixon delivers a triumphant performance as Emily Dickinson.
    Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Based on a 1967 semi-autobiographical short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, the film is a haunting, harrowing look at the physical and emotional costs of war.
    Sara Netzley, EW.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The old woman put her feet together and leaned forward at an angle and placed her forehead squarely on the Kraków Chakra, where the mystic energy of the world was thought to be both most intense and most accessible to human beings.
    Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
  • Freddy strays a little too close to the stereotype of a mystic savant; Michelle makes some rash and drastic decisions that beggar belief.
    Alison Herman, Variety, 28 June 2025
Adjective
  • This season has not been nearly as magical as 2024.
    John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Forest's owner, an accessibility consultant at Wishing Well Collective LLC, who trained the canine to be her service dog with help from professional trainers, says the moment was just as sweet and magical in person.
    Kelli Bender, People.com, 30 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.

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