adjective
eerie
EER-ee/ˈɪri/
Strange in a way that causes unease or fear.
The hollow tree looks eerie in the flashlight's beam.
Etymology
Apparently derived from earg, “cowardly, fearful,” eerie first described someone affected by superstitious fear. The meaning shifted from feeling fear to causing it through strangeness.
In context
It's creepy. It's eerie. You can probably see what's going to happen, but it's still an enjoyable hour and a half.
More examples
- The room grew eerier.
- It was the eeriest sound.
- An eerie silence followed.
Forms
eerie · eerier · eeriest
eerily adverb — in an unsettlingly strange way
Similar words
- uncanny
- Strangely unsettling or beyond ordinary expectations.
- spooky
- An informal word for frighteningly strange.