uncanny valley

American  

[uhn-kan-ee val-ee] / ʌnˈkæn i ˈvæl i /

noun

1. 1. a psychological concept that describes the feelings of unease or revulsion that people tend to have toward artificial representations of human beings, as robots or computer animations, that closely imitate many but not all the features and behaviors of actual human beings.

   2. the dip in positive feelings toward such artificial representations.

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Etymology

Origin of uncanny valley

1970; coined by Masahiro Mori, Japanese roboticist (born 1927), from Japanese bukimi no tani (genshō) “uncanny valley (phenomenon)”

Example Sentences

"We humans are just wired that way, and we can't help it. We are close to crossing the uncanny valley," Hu added.

From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026

Each 11-minute episode follows mundane escapades, like hosting a movie night or getting in a hot tub, punctuated by a somewhat disturbing art style and clumsy-on-purpose animation that strays into the uncanny valley.

From Salon • Dec. 26, 2025

But that appears to be changing with the likes of Optimus and sleeker droids which edge us closer to living in an uncanny valley.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

It doesn’t always work: Many of these projects drift into an unappealing uncanny valley.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2024

MacDorman says it’s a prime example of the uncanny valley, explaining that the feeling a viewer gets “is very visceral, automatic, and uncontrolled.”

From National Geographic • Sep. 29, 2023