Synonyms

eerie

American

[eer-ee] / ˈɪər i /

Or eery

adjective

eerier, eeriest

uncanny, so as to inspire superstitious fear; weird

an eerie midnight howl.
Chiefly Scot. affected with superstitious fear.

eerie British

/ ˈɪərɪ /

adjective

(esp of places, an atmosphere, etc) mysteriously or uncannily frightening or disturbing; weird; ghostly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See weird.

Other Word Forms

eerily adverb
eeriness noun

Etymology

Origin of eerie

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English eri, dialectal variant of argh, Old English earg “cowardly”; cognate with Old Frisian erg, Old Norse argr “evil,” German arg “cowardly”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The lyrics were eerie and ethereal: “Who can say where the road goes? Where the day flows? Only time”

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Cale, a performer as well as a writer, has created several solo shows, including the similarly eerie “Harry Clarke,” which starred Billy Crudup and was a hit both in New York and London.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s not good or bad. It’s just…eerie.”

From Literature

The six photographs and three videos posted by FBI Director Kash Patel on his X account show an individual on a deserted doorstep in the dark, in eerie black-and-white imagery.

From Barron's

But looking into Momma Rossi’s dark eyes, he had an eerie feeling that wasn’t how she knew….

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023