Definitions

eerie

[eer-ee] / ˈɪər i /

ADJECTIVE

spooky

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bizarre creepy eldritch fantastic frightening ghostly mysterious scary strange supernatural uncanny weird

STRONG

awesome

WEAK

spectral unearthly

Antonyms

STRONGEST

common earthly familiar natural normal regular usual

WEAK

ordinary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for eerie?

Probably the closest synonym for eerie is spooky. These words are usually used to describe an atmosphere or place that’s scary in a subtle way—not due to obvious danger but rather to a perceived uncanny quality that’s perhaps supernatural and sinister (evil). A classic example of a place described as eerie is a haunted house. Similar words include creepy, chilling, foreboding, menacing, and ominous. These all suggest a frightening quality, but, unlike eerie and spooky, don’t imply that there is anything otherworldly about it. You can describe an eerie place as giving you the creeps, creeping you out, or inspiring a sense of dread. Sometimes the best way to indicate that a place is eerie is to show instead of tell: when describing it, instead of using the word eerie, describe the things that actually make it eerie, like the strange sounds coming from the attic and the painting of a girl whose eyes seem to follow you around the room.

What is another word for eerie silence?

An eerie silence is a silence that seems too quiet—one that suggests something bad is going to happen. An eerie silence isn’t necessarily entirely silent—the breeze might be blowing in the background, for example—but it is lacking some of the sounds you might expect to hear normally. A forest without any birds singing (at a time when they normally would be) might be described as eerily silent. Words to describe an eerie silence include strange and unnatural.

What is the opposite (antonym) of eerie?

Eerie describes things that are subtly frightening due to seeming strange or unnatural. The opposite of an eerie atmosphere is one that’s familiar or ordinary in a way that’s comforting, welcoming, calming, or reassuring.

Is it eerie or eery?

It can be spelled either way, but eerie is much more common.

How do you use eerie in a sentence?

Eerie is used to suggest unnaturalness and creepiness. Here are some examples of eerie in a sentence:

The house was so eerie once we’d moved all our stuff out—like it was a different place altogether.
At dawn, there was an eerie silence over the lake, and the strange mist made it even eerier.
Walking among the mannequins in the abandoned department was too eerie for me.

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.

Mauro Tinti created the period costumes, complete with sculpted black masks for the removers of the dead; Antonio Castro did the eerie lighting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

These accounts collide with the present era’s eerie uncertainty at every turn, making for an altogether riveting, cyclical listening experience that tells her life’s story without smoothing its contradictions.

From Salon • Jul. 8, 2026

They also can’t forget the eerie reality that the S&P 500 semiconductors index has traded similarly to the way it did in the late 1990s—just before the dot-com bubble burst.

From Barron's • Jun. 16, 2026

He is best known for a YouTube series in which he would create eerie, abandoned liminal spaces in the CGI platform Blender and explore them on video.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

I suppose if I had a moment of doubt at all it was then, as I stood in that cold, eerie stairwell looking back at the apartment from which I had come.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

eerie

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

Vocabulary lists containing eerie

The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween

Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween

NAEP Test Words

eerie

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Sentences

Related Words

Vocabulary lists containing eerie

The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween

Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween

NAEP Test Words