Definition of uncannynext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word uncanny distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words eerie and weird are common synonyms of uncanny. While all three words mean "mysteriously strange or fantastic," uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

In what contexts can eerie take the place of uncanny?

The words eerie and uncanny are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

When would weird be a good substitute for uncanny?

Although the words weird and uncanny have much in common, weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of uncanny That’s the interesting and sometimes uncanny thing, right? Quanta Magazine, 25 June 2026 The same rickety rail-shooter from nearly three decades ago, glossed up with gorgeous environments and uncanny photorealistic animals. James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 24 June 2026 There are forwards who would kill to have Munoz’s uncanny nose for goal. Liam Twomey, New York Times, 24 June 2026 Yet many of Power’s shots possess an uncanny anonymity. Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for uncanny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uncanny
Adjective
  • Beulah's spurned heir Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba) calls up the mysterious Mariana (Raoul Max Trujillo) to help with his many problems, which include his ranch-usurping half-brother Rob-Will and those Duttons from Montana.
    Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Nicolas Winding Refn’s audacious return to feature filmmaking is a gorgeous, mysterious act of cinema, sensorial and transgressive, that demands to be experienced on its own terms.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
Adjective
  • Failing to score in five games at the 2010 World Cup is the only time Messi's superhuman standards dropped on this stage.
    Jay Harris, New York Times, 17 June 2026
  • Roshan will next be seen starring in Krrish 4, reprising his role as superhuman Krishna Mehra in the blockbuster franchise.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • Their courage quickly wavers in the face of the location’s eerie atmosphere and the deafening sound of cicadas.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
  • But here, its potential for ugly, alien tones is turned up to 11, an eerie buzz throbbing threateningly beneath the beats.
    Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026
Adjective
  • It was filled with brackets and parentheticals, written in different fonts and colors, much of it in capital letters, at once detailed and cryptic.
    Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
  • His doctors speculated his infection might have been a rare case of cryptic transmission from sharing meals and bathrooms with his coworkers, one of whom apparently had a tapeworm infection.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 26 June 2026
Adjective
  • The World Cup provided a second miraculous moment on Monday night.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • Three children were among those pulled to safety in a miraculous rescue that aired on state television.
    Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 25 June 2026
Adjective
  • The couple made their relationship public in 2008 and went on to appear together in Kelly Reichardt's haunting neo-Western Meek's Cutoff (2010).
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
  • Her mainstream breakthrough — and legacy-making performance — arrived with a haunting performance as stalker superfan Annie Wilkes in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery.
    Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026
Adjective
  • His guru, Ramakrishna, was a 19th-century mystic and spiritual teacher in Bengal whose teachings on the unity underlying all religions shaped the worldview Vivekananda would go on to spread globally.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 July 2026
  • In Mozart’s opera, Tamino, a prince in a fairyland of mystic temples and mystifying gods, relies on his supernatural flute that turn sorrow into joy to get him out of jams.
    Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
Adjective
  • Travis Heying An almost magical experience Covering the World Cup in Kansas City has been one of the most euphoric experiences of my career.
    Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
  • This young adult fantasy follows a 16-year-old who discovers a magical attack and realizes this new world of demons and mages has a connection to her mother’s death.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/uncanny. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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