uncanny
Americanadjective
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- odd, preternatural
adjective
-
characterized by apparently supernatural wonder, horror, etc
-
beyond what is normal or expected
an uncanny accuracy
Related Words
See weird.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of uncanny
Explanation
If something is uncanny, it is so mysterious, strange, or unfamiliar that it seems supernatural. If you hear strange music echoing through your attic, you might refer to it as positively uncanny. You can also use uncanny to refer to something that is so remarkable that it is beyond what is natural, as in "She has an uncanny ability to find her way around new places." This adjective was formed in English from the prefix un-, "not," and canny, "fortunate, safe." The current meaning of English canny is "careful and clever, especially in handling money."
Vocabulary lists containing uncanny
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 2
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Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This sensitivity contributes to what scientists call the "Uncanny Valley," a phenomenon where robots appear unsettling rather than lifelike.
From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026
Evelyn's involvement with Uncanny began in 2021, with an email from the programme's creator and presenter Danny Robins, asking whether she wanted to appear in his BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist.
From BBC • Oct. 27, 2023
Robins says he is most proud of the "community the show has built", calling Uncanny life-changing for him.
From BBC • Sep. 30, 2023
Uncanny disquiet governs the stories in this collection.
From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2023
Uncanny little beast, she could never take to him, but Farid loved him like a dog.
From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
