Uncanny

/ʌnˈkæni/ · adjective

Meaning

Strange, and mysteriously unsettling (as if supernatural); weird..

Definitions by Sense

1. Strange, and mysteriously unsettling (as if supernatural); weird.
2. (UK dialectal) Careless.
3. (psychology, psychoanalysis, Freud) Something that is simultaneously familiar and strange, typically leading to feelings of discomfort.

Example Sentences

He bore an uncanny resemblance to the dead sailor.

An eerie feeling came over me. She seemed uncanny and fateful.

These men had some uncanny knack of knowing when the steel was right, and like many such things, it just could not be put into a textbook on the subject.

The new iPhone promises “next level” photography with push-button ease. But the results look odd and uncanny.

This uncontrollable possibility—the possibility of a certain loss of control—can, perhaps, explain why the uncanny remains a marginal notion even within psychoanalysis itself.

As is well known, Freud introduced the concept of the uncanny into psychoanalysis in 1919 and used The Sandman as a prime illustration for his definition.

In the preceding chapter, we saw that Freud linked the maternal body, death, and the afterlife with the uncanny in his famous essay "The Uncanny" ("Das Unheimliche").

The uncanny involves feelings of uncertainty, in particular regarding the reality of who one is and what is being experienced.

Synonyms for uncanny

Antonyms for uncanny

Related Words

Word Forms

• uncannier
• uncanniest

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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