eerie

or ee·ry

[ eer-ee ]

/ ˈɪər i /

adjective, ee·ri·er, ee·ri·est.

uncanny, so as to inspire superstitious fear; weird: an eerie midnight howl.

Chiefly Scot. affected with superstitious fear.

Words nearby eerie

eent, eeo, eeoc, eephus pitch, eer, eerie, eery, ef-, efa, efate, efavirenz

Origin of eerie

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

SYNONYMS FOR eerie

1 See weird.

OTHER WORDS FROM eerie

ee·ri·ly, adverbee·ri·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH eerie

aerie eerie Erie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eeriness

Not the least detail seemed lacking to enhance the eeriness of the scene.
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram
Their mystery, their dramatic climaxes, their eeriness gave him a fearful, exquisite pleasure.
Rainbow Valley|Lucy Maud Montgomery
The very calmness of the information, its manner of conveyance, increased the eeriness of the warning.
The Messenger|Elizabeth Robins
Few pieces can rival it for eeriness of impression, and few exhibit such delicate skill in the choice of details in description.
The Age of Tennyson|Hugh Walker

There is an eeriness in watching a slowly opening door when one knows nothing of the one who is impelling it.
Juggernaut|George Cary Eggleston

British Dictionary definitions for eeriness

eerie

/ (ˈɪərɪ) /

adjective eerier or eeriest

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

Derived forms of eerie

eerily, adverbeeriness, noun

Word Origin for eerie

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

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