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
Gia KourlasOlivia 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
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
Christina Hitt Examples of spooky in a Sentence
The music was pretty spooky.
a spooky horse shying at shadows
Recent Examples on the Web
After a nearly three-year wait, fans finally got to see what kind of spooky shenanigans Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) gets up to this season.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 1 June 2025
At this witchy, emerald-hued bar (more vibey than spooky), rafters are decked out in Spanish moss as a cloud of palo santo smoke rises from the corner table where a tarot reader offers counsel.
—Elazar Sontag, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 May 2025
There’s plenty of spooky stuff here, but what makes the book great is the way Pinborough mixes in Emily’s human struggles.
—Gabino Iglesias, New York Times, 30 May 2025
There are dozens of stories here that capture the spooky but deadly tone that attracted me to the game.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spooky
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Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 1 June 2025
At this witchy, emerald-hued bar (more vibey than spooky), rafters are decked out in Spanish moss as a cloud of palo santo smoke rises from the corner table where a tarot reader offers counsel.
—Elazar Sontag, Bon Appetit Magazine, 30 May 2025
There’s plenty of spooky stuff here, but what makes the book great is the way Pinborough mixes in Emily’s human struggles.
—Gabino Iglesias, New York Times, 30 May 2025
There are dozens of stories here that capture the spooky but deadly tone that attracted me to the game.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spooky
Cite this Entry
“Spooky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spooky. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spooky
adjective
spookier; spookiest
1
: relating to, resembling, or suggesting ghosts
spooky houses
2
: skittish sense 2
a spooky horse
spookiness
noun
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