uncanny

[uhn-kan-ee]

See more synonyms for uncanny on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having or seeming to have a supernatural or inexplicable basis; beyond the ordinary or normal; extraordinary: uncanny accuracy; an uncanny knack of foreseeing trouble.
mysterious; arousing superstitious fear or dread; uncomfortably strange: Uncanny sounds filled the house.

Origin of uncanny

First recorded in 1590–1600; un-¹ + canny

Related formsun·can·ni·ly, adverbun·can·ni·ness, noun

Synonyms for uncanny

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2. preternatural, odd. See weird.

Antonyms for uncanny

2. ordinary, natural.

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

Related Words for uncanny

exceptional, singular, remarkable, incredible, spooky, fantastic, eerie, astounding, magical, astonishing, extraordinary, miraculous, supernatural, superhuman, creepy, devilish, ghostly, ghoulish, inspired, mysterious

Examples from the Web for uncanny

Contemporary Examples of uncanny

Archaeologists have an uncanny ability to ignore the discomforts and channel the time period and the people they're studying.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark
Alex Belth
November 14, 2014
In an uncanny way, that describes the precise definition of the hipster, when the term first appeared in the American vocabulary.
Why Do We Hate Hipsters So F'ing Much?
Ted Gioia
July 13, 2014
Another had an uncanny ability to land paving jobs in Southern Nevada.
The Cowboy Sheriff of Las Vegas Rides Into ‘Mob Museum’
John L. Smith
June 8, 2014
Almost nothing has been touched since the fall of the USSR in 1991, providing an uncanny glimpse behind the Iron Curtain.
Secret KGB Torture House Opens Its Doors in Riga
Brandon Presser
June 4, 2014
And from the side, with the lips and ears elongated, the resemblance is uncanny.
‘Breaking Bad’ in the White House: Bryan Cranston as LBJ in 'All the Way'
David Freedlander
March 7, 2014

Historical Examples of uncanny

The silence of it discomfited him beyond measure; it was, in a word, uncanny.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
For my part, grim and uncanny as he looked, I was glad to see him.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
Not only were his eyes averted from mine, but they were glassed to an uncanny degree.
Ruggles of Red Gap
Harry Leon Wilson
This knowledge, with the dream, was to him an uncanny thing.
Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The Searchlight
Mathew Joseph Holt
Everything one says and does seems to turn in one's mouth—it's—it's uncanny.
The Silver Box (First Series Plays)
John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for uncanny

uncanny

adjective

characterized by apparently supernatural wonder, horror, etc
beyond what is normal or expectedan uncanny accuracy

Derived Formsuncannily, adverbuncanniness, 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 uncanny

adj.

1590s, "mischievous;" 1773 in the sense of "associated with the supernatural," originally Scottish and northern English, from un- (1) "not" + canny.