adjective
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ghostly or eerie
a spooky house
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resembling or appropriate to a ghost
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easily frightened; highly strung
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of spooky
Explanation
Spooky things make a shiver go down your spine—they're scary or creepy. A movie's spooky music might be enough to make you cover your eyes in fear. This informal adjective is perfect for talking about things that make you feel afraid or deeply uneasy. Haunted houses are spooky, and the sound of quiet footsteps crunching through the leaves outside your tent at night are spooky too—at least until your brother yells, "Boo!" You can also use spooky to mean "easily spooked," like a nervous horse that jumps at the slightest sound.
Vocabulary lists containing spooky
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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.
See Examples For:
Despite the alleged spooky activity, she doesn’t plan to let go of the home, hoping to “hang onto” it “well into retirement,” and someday pass it onto her children.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
Halloween shoppers in the US seeking sweet relief this spooky season have instead been shocked by the high price of seasonal treats, as cost of living pressures continue to bite.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Courtney Iseman breaks down why gimmicky cocktails go wrong—and gives some recipe ideas for making your spooky spirits a smashing success.
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026
But the scary mommy is really having a moment this spooky season.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
But it was fun—especially when we crept out into the garden at midnight, which we did partly because it was spooky and partly because it was strictly not allowed!
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
A chance encounter with a simpatico married pair offers the possibility of friendship—but soon gives way to something spookier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
At the time, Imagineering wanted to update a relatively “common” chandelier with a spookier, spider web-inspired look.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025
While Ortega wore a bright pink Valentino dress to last year's Met Gala, this year she went with a distinctly spookier and more gothic vibe.
From BBC ● May 2, 2023
The YouTube videos tend to be shorter and spookier, while the podcast episodes are more in-depth and cover true crime stories.
From The Verge ● Jul. 28, 2022
Somehow, seeing her like this was even spookier than seeing her as a mummy.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
The eerie glow provided a fitting finale to spookiest night of the year, delighting skywatchers and photographers alike.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Peck’s area actually made this year’s list of spookiest cities in America: Cape May was ranked sixth by home-security company Vivint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
Rather, they are merely Halloween-inspired, containing candies that are shaped like bats and cats — undeniably two of the spookiest creatures.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2025
Not any more, now that I put together this guide to what to do in and around New York City during the year’s spookiest month.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2023
"Mother said this was the spookiest place in the whole house—except the cellar."
From Billie Bradley and Her Inheritance The Queer Homestead at Cherry Corners by Janet D. Wheeler
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
