spookier; spookiest
1
: strange, unsettling, or frightening in a way that suggests the supernatural : eerie, uncanny
[Caroline] Shaw's composition … is a mysterious and densely layered four-movement work … with vocalization and spookier in-between sounds that originate deep in the throat: moans, gasps, exhalations of breath.Gia Kourlas
Olivia Wilde's new film … owes a debt to many spooky dramas about the dark side of the suburbs—think The Stepford Wives, with even more of a sci-fi edge.David Sims
sometimes, specifically : relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts or spooks
Spooky stories of Hawaiian night marchers (ghosts of warriors and chiefs) lurking around bushes and walking the trail are often told, but these haunted tales are not true, according to Lopaka Kapanui, a Native Hawaiian master storyteller … Christina Hitt
2
: nervous, skittish
Dealing with Louisa when she was having an attack was very much like dealing with a spooky horse. You had to exude self-confidence …Jane Smiley
spookily adverb
spookiness noun

Examples of spooky in a Sentence

The music was pretty spooky. a spooky horse shying at shadows
Recent Examples on the Web The stories are spooky enough to satisfy horror readers, but not scary enough that a non-horror reader wouldn't enjoy it too. American Booksellers Association, USA TODAY, 12 July 2024 The film is set to hit Netflix on Oct. 4, just in time for spooky season. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 11 July 2024 New images of the home appear to lean into its spooky history, adding eye-catching colors like bright red, purple, black, and a wicked-green hue to modernized living and dining areas. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 10 July 2024 The series is told by those who witnessed incomprehensible, extraordinary, and spooky encounters with the dead. Peter White, Deadline, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for spooky 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spooky.' 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

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spooky was in 1854

Dictionary Entries Near spooky

Cite this Entry

“Spooky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spooky. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

spooky

adjective
spookier; spookiest
1
: relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts
spooky houses
2
: skittish sense 2
a spooky horse
spookiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on spooky

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