uncanny

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ʌnˈkæni/ See IPA manual

Freq #16041

Meanings

1

adj
Strange and mysterious in a way that is hard to explain and slightly unsettling.

He bore an uncanny resemblance to a man I had met years before.
2

adj
Far beyond what is normal or expected, in an almost supernatural way.

She has an uncanny ability to guess what people are thinking.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · strange and mysterious in a... weird eerie

2 adj · far beyond what is normal... preternatural

Word family

Forms uncannieruncanniest

Derived forms uncannilyuncanniness

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

uncanny sense
an unusually accurate intuitive awareness that is difficult to explain

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Uncanny originated in Scots in the late 16th century as the negative counterpart of canny. It initially suggested something malignant or malicious and had occult associations; during the 19th century it spread beyond Scotland and developed the usual sense “mysterious, weird, or strange.”

Etymology

From un- + canny; thus “beyond one's ken,” or outside one's familiar knowledge or perceptions. Compare Middle English unkanne (“unknown”). In the noun sense a translation of Sigmund Freud's usage of German unheimlich (Das Unheimliche, 1919).

*ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# uncanny

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈkæni/
**Frequency rank:** 16041

## Meanings
1. Strange and mysterious in a way that is hard to explain and slightly unsettling.
2. Far beyond what is normal or expected, in an almost supernatural way.

## Examples
- He bore an uncanny resemblance to a man I had met years before.
- She has an uncanny ability to guess what people are thinking.

## Derived Forms
- uncannily
- uncanniness

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ǵneh₃-

## Etymology
From un- + canny; thus “beyond one's ken,” or outside one's familiar knowledge or perceptions. Compare Middle English unkanne (“unknown”). In the noun sense a translation of Sigmund Freud's usage of German unheimlich (Das Unheimliche, 1919).

## AI Etymology
Uncanny is formed from un- + canny; thus “beyond one's ken,” or outside one's familiar knowledge or perceptions. Compare Middle English unkanne (“unknown”). In the noun sense a translation of Sigmund Freud's usage of German unheimlich (Das Unheimliche, 1919). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include *ǵneh₃- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include strange and mysterious in a way that is hard to explain and slightly unsettling and far beyond what is normal or expected, in an almost supernatural way. The wider family includes derived forms such as uncannily and uncanniness.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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