eerie — strange and frightening; creating an atmosphere of mystery or fear
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: strange and frightening; creating an atmosphere of mystery or fear
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈɪri/
Example Sentences
- My cat stares at empty corners with an eerie intensity, making me wonder if ghosts are having a house party.
- The fog created an eerie landscape that looked like a horror movie set.
- There's something eerie about how my phone knows I'm thinking about pizza and shows me ads for it.
eerie
ADJECTIVE[/ˈɪri/]
strange and frightening; creating an atmosphere of mystery or fear
Strange and frightening atmosphere
"Did you hear it?" one explorer whispered, even though nothing dangerous appeared in the eerie cave. ("Hear it?" → You think you hear something, but nothing is there. That's eerie.)
The eerie mansion looked so dreary that the weary detectives kept searching for its hidden mystery.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English and Old English 'earg' meaning cowardly or timid, influenced by Scottish and Northern English dialects. The word evolved to describe something that inspires fear or unease, with possible connections to Old Norse 'erg' meaning cowardly.
Breakdown
eerie = eer- (archaic root meaning fear/cowardice) + -ie/-y (adjective suffix) = something that inspires fear or dread
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat stares at empty corners with an eerie intensity, making me wonder if ghosts are having a house party.”
“The fog created an eerie landscape that looked like a horror movie set.”
“There's something eerie about how my phone knows I'm thinking about pizza and shows me ads for it.”
“The old clock tower made eerie chiming sounds at midnight.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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