uncanny

adjective

un·​can·​ny ˌən-ˈka-nē How to pronounce uncanny (audio)
uncannier; uncanniest
1
a
: seeming to have a supernatural character or origin : eerie, mysterious
b
: being beyond what is normal or expected : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers
an uncanny sense of direction
2
chiefly Scotland : severe, punishing
uncannily adverb
uncanniness noun

Did you know?

Uncanny describes that which unsettles us, such as disquieting observations, or mysterious situations and circumstances. Strip the word of its common negating prefix, though, and you’re left with canny, a word that shares semantic territory with clever and prudent. While canny and uncanny don’t appear to be antonyms, they both come from an early Scottish word canny meaning “free from risk; wise, prudent, cautious.” And in Scottish, canny has for centuries had a secondary meaning that correlates better to its mysterious cousin: the Oxford English Dictionary reports that the word is used in negative constructions to describe what is not safe to be involved with, or more broadly, what is not in accordance with what is right or natural. Rather uncanny.

Choose the Right Synonym for uncanny

weird, eerie, uncanny mean mysteriously strange or fantastic.

weird may imply an unearthly or supernatural strangeness or it may stress peculiarity or oddness.

weird creatures from another world

eerie suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that mysterious and malign powers are at work.

an eerie calm preceded the bombing raid

uncanny implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness.

an uncanny resemblance between total strangers

Examples of uncanny in a Sentence

I was struck by his uncanny ability to communicate arcane, complex economic policy and by his punk-rock instinct to question the status quo. Bono, Time, 18 Apr. 2005
To an economist, the 1990s bear an uncanny resemblance to two earlier decades: the 1920s in the United States and the 1980s in Japan. In all three decades, technological change produced extraordinary economic growth, leading to talk of a "new era" and triggering a bull market in stocks that terminated in a market collapse—widely regarded as the bursting of a speculative bubble. Milton Friedman, Wall Street Journal, 22 Jan. 2002
As he approached quite close to the enclosure he saw an excited group surrounding the two fugitives, who, trembling with fright and exhaustion, were scarce able to recount the uncanny details of their adventure. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, 1914
She could not teach herself to think favourably of Pansy, whose absence of initiative, of conversation, of personal claims, seemed to her, in a girl of twenty, unnatural and even uncanny. Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady, 1881
She had an uncanny resemblance to someone I had seen before. She has an uncanny sense of direction. an uncanny ability to predict the weather
Recent Examples on the Web There’s something inherently disturbing about tech that plays at being human, and that uncanny deception can rub people the wrong way. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2024 Many other TikTok regulars have noted its algorithm’s uncanny ability to anticipate their interests. Madison Malone Kircher, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 John Oates, Hall & Oates Sidekick to: Daryl Hall John Oates brought far more to white-soul hit machine Hall & Oates than just Tom Selleck's spare mustache and an uncanny ability to make Daryl Hall look tall. Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 In an uncanny replication of what occurred last year, Oakland will play at Oakland Tech on Tuesday with a trip to the state final at stake. Glenn Reeves, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 The effect is uncanny — stripped of their context, the voices limn an atmosphere of pure crisis, a sickly light on an unseen horizon. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Rosenthal’s translation draws out these poems’ shades of melancholy and whimsy, along with the slant and irregular rhymes that contribute to their uncanny humor. The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 This is especially true for members of the younger generations, who have an uncanny ability to sense any insincerity lurking behind corporate communications. Mark C. Perna, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Unfortunately, both before and after Divergent, Courtney (or more likely Courtney's agent) had an uncanny skill for landing roles in major franchises that ended up fizzling. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'uncanny.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of uncanny was in 1773

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Dictionary Entries Near uncanny

Cite this Entry

“Uncanny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncanny. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

uncanny

adjective
un·​can·​ny ˌən-ˈkan-ē How to pronounce uncanny (audio)
1
2
: being beyond what is normal
an uncanny sense of direction
uncannily adverb
uncanniness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on uncanny

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