spooky

adjective

ˈspü-kē How to pronounce spooky (audio)
Definition of spookynext
1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature a spooky horse shying at shadows

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic a spooky tale of strange hauntings and mysterious reincarnations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spooky Rebecca Hall is an incredible horror heroine, turning in phenomenally spooky and pained performances in The Night House and Resurrection. — Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 12 June 2026 Neon released the first movie, with its marketing campaign cited as a blueprint for how to build anticipation for a spooky movie. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026 Paramount+ has bought Wild Cherry, the spooky BBC series from Nicôle Lecky, one of the UK’s most exciting creatives. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 29 May 2026 The comment took off and became a popular creepypasta, or a spooky story spread online. — Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for spooky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooky
  1. excitable
  2. eerie
  3. nervous
  4. haunting
  5. creepy
Adjective
  • Shaffelburg’s boundless enthusiasm and high work rate led one LAFC staffer to liken him to an excitable golden retriever, a comparison the player did not challenge.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • That’s where Barkley came in, an excitable, friendly yellow lab who is obsessed with balls and could sniff out a green tennis ball in an entire stadium of purple ones.
    — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of excitable
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, moviegoers took to social media to share snaps of themselves waiting in line for hours outside their local cineplexes, hoping to score IMAX 70mm tickets for the eerie Frank Herbert adaptation.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
  • And thanks to K-pop stars using the site as a photoshoot, TV series and music video backdrop, this eerie space has a new lease on life.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of eerie
Adjective
  • Until Bezos, or any of his new partners, speak publicly, the conversation about what comes next will be nervous.
    — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In a nervous market full of geopolitical tension, IPOs have attracted a lot of investor attention, with AI darlings Anthropic and OpenAI preparing for their own debuts.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • There’s nothing more haunting than walking on those beautiful soundstages that are ghost towns.
    — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Despite lingering radiation, Pripyat draws photographers and history enthusiasts eager to witness one of the most complete—and haunting—portraits of a city abruptly frozen.
    — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026
Definition of haunting
Adjective
  • There’s also a quick flash of a creepy figure wearing a fluffy rabbit mask while holding a gun and standing next to a bridge with a skull painted on it.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Long nozzle Most people would prefer to keep a healthy distance from creepy crawlies.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of creepy

Browse Nearby Words

spooks
spooky
spoon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spooky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooky. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on spooky

Nglish: Translation of spooky for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of august

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All