uncanny

[uhn-kan-ee]

adjective

1. having or seeming to have a supernatural or inexplicable basis; beyond the ordinary or normal; extraordinary.

   uncanny accuracy; an uncanny knack of foreseeing trouble.

2. mysterious; arousing superstitious fear or dread; uncomfortably strange.

   Uncanny sounds filled the house.

   Synonyms: odd, preternatural
   Antonyms: natural, ordinary

uncanny

/ ʌnˈkænɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by apparently supernatural wonder, horror, etc

2. beyond what is normal or expected

   an uncanny accuracy

Other Word Forms

• uncanniness noun
• uncannily adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of uncanny¹

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

Synonym Study

See weird.

Example Sentences

That discomfort invariably produces mistakes—and the Brewers have an uncanny knack for taking advantage of the tiniest possible opening.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Elsbeth creator Jonathan Tolins says the script was always planned to be bold, and though real life intersected in uncanny ways, the episode wasn’t rewritten to reflect it.

Read more on Salon

The Argentine author, whose writing habitually draws on the uncanny, here delivers a blend of superstition, dread and a leitmotif of mental instability in a register of acute psychological realism.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The 71-year-old has an uncanny ability to discern what young shoppers want.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Meg Jones' speed, strength, industry and uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time have made her arguably the best player at this World Cup.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• astonishing 
• astounding 
• eerie 
• exceptional 
• extraordinary 
• fantastic 
• incredible 
• magical 
• miraculous 
• remarkable 
• singular 
• spooky 
• superhuman 
• supernatural