eerie

Or ee·ry

[eer-ee]

adjective

eerier, eeriest 

1. uncanny, so as to inspire superstitious fear; weird

   an eerie midnight howl.

2. Chiefly Scot.,  affected with superstitious fear.

eerie

/ ˈɪərɪ /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• eerily adverb
• eeriness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of eerie¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of eerie¹

C13: originally Scottish and Northern English, probably from Old English earg cowardly, miserable

Synonym Study

See weird.

Example Sentences

But there are some eerie findings associated with their eventual demise.

From BBC

Bobby Krlic’s mournful score is alternately dreamy and eerie, the instrumental music abruptly cutting out in the middle of a hypnotic passage.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite the film’s eerie setting filled with slanting shadows, splattered blood and furtive movements darting just out of frame, Indy provides a visual oasis – thanks to a warm golden coat accented with white markings.

From Salon

There is a silence to the witching hours, a calm that can be disarming, but it’s never been an eerie silence for me, even when I’ve been handling the dead.

From Salon

The result captures the anxious, conspiratorial spirit of 2025 with eerie precision, proving once again that Plemons doesn’t need to raise his voice to deliver a performance that speaks volumes.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bizarre 
• creepy 
• eldritch 
• fantastic 
• frightening www.thesaurus.com
• ghostly 
• mysterious 
• scary 
• strange 
• supernatural 
• uncanny 
• weird