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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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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3
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic
uncanny and unexpected shadows along the mountainsides
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of uncanny
Whether a language model responds to prompts with gibberish or uncanny fluency depends on another set of numbers called parameters, which describe the connections inside its neural network.
—
Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
Becca’s disintegration emphasizes the parts of her that endure; the avatar, on the other hand, is a parody of that real flesh, an uncanny and malevolent imitation.
—Alexandra Kleeman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
There’s always something uncanny in there that’s a little off-kilter.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Each week, Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale would drive into a new locale, discover that a murder had taken place, and solve it using her uncanny ability to recognize when people are lying.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
Becca’s disintegration emphasizes the parts of her that endure; the avatar, on the other hand, is a parody of that real flesh, an uncanny and malevolent imitation.
—Alexandra Kleeman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
There’s always something uncanny in there that’s a little off-kilter.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Each week, Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale would drive into a new locale, discover that a murder had taken place, and solve it using her uncanny ability to recognize when people are lying.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny
Adjective
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The family adventure show is set at mysterious Crookhaven School where high achieving young crooks from across the world are secretly selected to hone their skills in disciplines such as deception, crimnastics, forgery and infiltration.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 May 2025
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Dipping in and out of this book over a few months might inspire a new reverence for the mysterious human body.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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The anticipated 10th Anniversary season of Chef’s Table on Netflix kicked off on April 28, and the buzz surrounding the series and its superhuman subjects has been buzzing since.—
Kristin L. Wolfe,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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The rise of no-code design has been like the building of a massive tower by a superhuman labor force – it’s been a whirlwind.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Pink Floyd stayed for extended periods, and the band used the eerie image of an island windmill on the cover of its soundtrack for More, Barbet Schroeder’s 1969 film about the hippie-heroin scene that was partly filmed on the island.—
Julia Chaplin,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2025
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Lots of them, all making those eerie, human-sounding cries.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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Neither Henry nor Devers have been willing to detail that conversation until now, as Devers finally broke his silence on the discussion with a cryptic four-word message.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
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Still, his message ended on a cheerful note that showed the musician seems to be taking the cryptic dismissal in stride.—
Glenn Rowley,
Billboard,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Revival — Premieres Thursday, June 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT On one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin, the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2025
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That Jia could make anything out of that flotsam and jetsam is astonishing, but his ability to not only recreate those time frames but craft all of it into a woozy, free-floating memory piece is miraculous.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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The case is haunting, the mystery compelling, and the international threads gripping.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 May 2025
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Cruise portrayed two of the most haunting characters of his career around the time Bale was watching him on the talk show circuit, as a megalomaniacal motivational speaker in Magnolia and a man pulled into a dangerous web of cultish goings-on in Eyes Wide Shut.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Among employees, he had been known as a deep thinker and even something of a mystic, regularly speaking in spiritual terms.—
Karen Hao,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
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Lag BaOmer celebrates the anniversary of the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.—
Rabbi Moishe Kievman,
Sun Sentinel,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Mornings at Huka are magical as mists lift from the river and cloak the gardens of tree ferns, flax, totara, and rimu pines.—
Kendall Hill,
Travel + Leisure,
15 May 2025
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Don't: Forget About the Ceiling People often neglect the ceiling, but adding some color or even a pattern up there can create an enveloping, magical effect.—
Eleni N. Gage,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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