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 1960 movie — powered by Bernard Herrmann's chilling score, Anthony Perkins' unnerving portrayal of hotel manager Norman Bates (for the movie, much younger than the character in Bloch's novel) and Hitchcock's uncanny showmanship — revolutionized the horror genre.
—
Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Panthers are hoping that McMillan’s uncanny ability to pluck the ball out of the air will help Young establish the passing game this season.
—Mike Kaye
updated August 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
The timing of this latest incident was uncanny.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Grounded in a strong sense of place, powerful performances speak volumes without excess dialogue in an atmosphere both familiar and uncanny.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Chris Foran, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The Panthers are hoping that McMillan’s uncanny ability to pluck the ball out of the air will help Young establish the passing game this season.
—Mike Kaye
updated August 26, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2025
The timing of this latest incident was uncanny.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Grounded in a strong sense of place, powerful performances speak volumes without excess dialogue in an atmosphere both familiar and uncanny.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 23 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny
Adjective
-
In an effort to help the group retrieve it, Guy encounters William Fitchner’s Jasper, a mysterious American who has quietly assumed control and influence over the Talamasca’s London Motherhouse.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Released in 2004, the film follows Sophie, a quiet girl working in a hat shop, who finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome but mysterious wizard named Howl.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
4 Sep. 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
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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
-
The Wax Child is an eerie, unsettling book about a group of women who have apparently been possessed and empowered by a tall and headless Devil.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Uckotter’s eerie depictions of attics, slip dresses, and toys calls to mind the cinematic worlds created by David Lynch.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
These fish, known for their cryptic behavior, were identified as a neonative species, expanding their range naturally.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Ars reached out to Google for an explanation, receiving a cryptic and somewhat unsatisfying reply.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The book—or rather, the section of the book that covers the miraculous story of the school bus that McKay drove to safety after responding to an emergency call—became the basis of Greengrass’ movie co-written by Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby.—
Tomris Laffly,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The 22-year-old stole a miraculous, all-American hero set point against Adrian Mannarino and the crowd were up for it.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Her voice, later verified by outlets including The Washington Post and Sky News, became one of the most haunting symbols of the war.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
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And in 2022, Semafor worked with an artist to illustrate and animate an interview using AI tools to create a haunting video interpretation of life in Ukraine under Russian occupation.—
Gina Chua,
semafor.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Yet Blanc’s real faith lies in the nearly mystic quality involved in seeing what the human animal is capable of.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Yeats’s spirals, once dismissed as the wild diagrams of a mystic, now settle over this place like soot.—
Alaa Alqaisi
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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One such factor might be the user awareness of AI, gauged by their literacy about AI and the assigning of a magical aura to AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The sound of K-pop also hums through the other magical elements of the film, especially HUNTR/X’s weapons and the strange familiars that Rumi and Ji-noo (Ahn Hyo-seop) use to communicate with each other across enemy lines.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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