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uncanny: msg#00022culture.language.word-of-the-day
***************************************************************** Why settle for one word of the day? Check out all the hot new words by subscribing to Merriam-Webster Unabridged. http://www.merriam-websterunabridged.com ***************************************************************** The Word of the Day for May 23 is: uncanny \un-KAN-ee\ adjective 1 : ghostly, mysterious, eerie *2 : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers Example sentence: Although Pam insists that she doesn't have ESP, she does have the uncanny ability to guess people's exact birth dates. Did you know? "Weird" and "eerie" are synonyms of "uncanny," but there are subtle differences in the meanings of the three words. "Weird" may be used to describe something that is generally strange or out of the ordinary. "Eerie" suggests an uneasy or fearful consciousness that some kind of mysterious and malign powers are at work, while "uncanny," which debuted in the 18th century, implies disquieting strangeness or mysteriousness. English also has a word "canny," but "canny" and "uncanny" should not be interpreted as opposites. "Canny," which first appeared in English in the 16th century, means "clever," "shrewd" or "prudent," as in "a canny lawyer" or "a canny investment." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
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