Word
Definition
adj. strange and scary in a way that makes you feel like something bad might happen.
adj. inspiring a sense of unease or fear through being strange, mysterious, or uncanny.
Examples
“The empty house was filled with an eerie silence.”
“An eerie green glow appeared on the horizon just before the storm began to howl.”
“The abandoned amusement park took on an eerie quality in the moonlight, with the rusted skeletons of the rides casting long, distorted shadows across the overgrown paths.”
Examples
simple
“The empty house was filled with an eerie silence.”
contextual
“An eerie green glow appeared on the horizon just before the storm began to howl.”
complex
“The abandoned amusement park took on an eerie quality in the moonlight, with the rusted skeletons of the rides casting long, distorted shadows across the overgrown paths.”
Real-World Examples
“The lack of light hitting the Moon will give it an eerie reddish glow.” “Flora’s eerie doll raises the hairs and the screens are used inventively.” Etymology
From Middle English eri (“fearful”), from Old English earg (“cowardly, fearful”), from Proto-West Germanic arg, from Proto-Germanic argaz. Akin to Scots ergh, argh from the same Old English source. Doublet of argh.
See eyrie.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word family
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/eerie
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0