Difference between "weird" and "uncanny" ?
Hi everybody,

Could someone tell me if there is a difference between these two words.

Thanks :)

Question

Difference between "weird" and "uncanny" ?
Hi everybody,

Could someone tell me if there is a difference between these two words.

Thanks :)

Answer

The definitions are pretty similar but the common usage is a bit different. Weird is used in a really wide variety of situations to describe people or things that one deems unusual/strange/creepy, whereas in normal conversation, uncanny is almost exclusively used when people or situations bear a striking and unsettling resemblance to each other.

Ex 1 "That guy keeps looking at us, it's so weird."

Ex 2 "Hey that guy over there looks EXACTLY like Jimmy...it's uncanny!"

You can use weird in example 2 and that would be fine, but to native speakers it might sound strange (or weird!) if you use uncanny in example 1.

Answer

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncanny

Answers · 3

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