spooky

[spoo-kee]

See more synonyms for spooky on Thesaurus.com

adjective, spook·i·er, spook·i·est. Informal.

like or befitting a spook or ghost; suggestive of spooks.
eerie; scary.
(especially of horses) nervous; skittish.

Origin of spooky

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; spook + -y¹

Related formsspook·i·ly, adverbspook·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for spooky

Contemporary Examples

Warne looked—in the words of the Daily Mail—“like a spooky waxwork.”
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress
Tim Teeman
December 12, 2014
Spooky Tooth had reformed quite a while before I received the call and were touring quite often.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More
Gary Wright
September 29, 2014
When we all saw this, both my brothers turned to look at me in the car and pulled ‘spooky’ faces at me.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death
Patricia Pearson
August 11, 2014
Formerly a playground for Sunday school kids, it has a spooky, cloistered feel to it.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial
Ivan Solotaroff
June 28, 2014
The very questions are spooky, and the answers Obama eventually will have to supply, in one fashion or another, will be dangerous.
Leslie H. Gelb on Obama’s Dangerous Nuclear Dance
Leslie H. Gelb
April 7, 2013

Historical Examples

"I hate to go through the grove, it's so spooky," she said, as they hurried along.
Tom Slade with the Colors
Percy K. Fitzhugh
“What a horrid, spooky place,” she spoke with a shiver, peering within.
Mountain Blood
Joseph Hergesheimer
Feel how the bridge shakes in the wind; it's kind of spooky like, hey?
Roy Blakeley's Camp on Wheels
Percy Keese Fitzhugh
We'll make the whole thing as spooky and mysterious as we can.
Paul and the Printing Press
Sara Ware Bassett
It was spooky in the rooms upstairs, and equally spooky in the ones downstairs.
The Goose Man
Jacob Wassermann

British Dictionary definitions for spooky

spooky

adjective spookier or spookiest informal

ghostly or eeriea spooky house
resembling or appropriate to a ghost
US easily frightened; highly strung

Derived Formsspookily, adverbspookiness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for spooky

adj.

1854, "frightening;" 1926, "easily frightened," from spook (v.) + -y (2). Related: Spookily; spookiness.

spooky

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}spooky

Examples from the Web for spooky

Contemporary Examples

Warne looked—in the words of the Daily Mail—“like a spooky waxwork.”

Spooky Tooth had reformed quite a while before I received the call and were touring quite often.

When we all saw this, both my brothers turned to look at me in the car and pulled ‘spooky’ faces at me.

Formerly a playground for Sunday school kids, it has a spooky, cloistered feel to it.

The very questions are spooky, and the answers Obama eventually will have to supply, in one fashion or another, will be dangerous.

Historical Examples

"I hate to go through the grove, it's so spooky," she said, as they hurried along.

“What a horrid, spooky place,” she spoke with a shiver, peering within.

Feel how the bridge shakes in the wind; it's kind of spooky like, hey?

We'll make the whole thing as spooky and mysterious as we can.

It was spooky in the rooms upstairs, and equally spooky in the ones downstairs.

spooky

Word Origin and History for spooky

adj.

Origin of spooky