uncanny

Meanings

• adjective

  1. Having or causing an unfamiliar and eerie feeling, especially through seeming human likeness or supernatural influence.

  - "The doll's uncanny resemblance to the deceased woman made everyone uncomfortable."
  - "The uncanny valley effect is a phenomenon where a robot or animation looks and moves almost, but not exactly, like a human, causing a sense of unease."

• adjective

  2. Belonging to or involving the supernatural or the occult.

  - "The uncanny powers of the sorcerer left the villagers in awe."
  - "The uncanny events that occurred during the seance left the skeptics questioning their beliefs."

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Pronunciation

1. /ʌnˈkæni/
   
   
   
   Source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=508889"

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Rhymes

Words rhyming with uncanny
anny , canine , dainty , fainéant , lainy , mane , rainy , vainly

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Variants

List of all variants of uncanny that leads to same result
uncannier , uncanniest , uncannily , uncanniness , uncanninesses , uncanny

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Etymology

origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

From Middle English uncanne, unkenned, unknowne, from un- UN- + kennan to know.

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Trivia

Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word

1. The uncanny was first explored in depth by Sigmund Freud in his 1919 essay 'Das Unheimliche' (The Uncanny).

2. The term 'uncanny' comes from the Middle English word 'unkenned,' meaning 'unknown' or 'unrecognized'.

3. The uncanny valley effect was first identified by Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori in 1970.

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Related Concepts

informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

1. The Uncanny Valley: A hypothesis in psychology and robotics that suggests people may experience a sense of unease or revulsion when interacting with humanoid entities that closely resemble actual humans but are not quite identical.

2. The Uncanny: A concept in psychoanalysis that refers to the experience of encountering something that is familiar but also strange or unsettling, often evoking feelings of unease, discomfort, or fear.

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Quotes

Quotes by authors and personalities

1. She could not teach herself to think favourably of Pansy, whose absence of initiative, of conversation, of personal claims, seemed to her, in a girl of twenty, unnatural and even "uncanny".

   - Henry James,{it}The Portrait of a Lady{/it},1881

2. As he approached quite close to the enclosure he saw an excited group surrounding the two fugitives, who, trembling with fright and exhaustion, were scarce able to recount the "uncanny" details of their adventure.

   - Edgar Rice Burroughs,{it}Tarzan of the Apes{/it},1914

3. I was struck by his "uncanny" ability to communicate arcane, complex economic policy and by his punk-rock instinct to question the status quo.

   - Bono,{it}Time{/it},18 Apr. 2005

4. To an economist, the 1990s bear an "uncanny" resemblance to two earlier decades: the 1920s in the United States and the 1980s in Japan. In all three decades, technological change produced extraordinary economic growth, leading to talk of a "new era" and triggering a bull market in stocks that terminated in a market collapse—widely regarded as the bursting of a speculative bubble.

   - Milton Friedman,{it}Wall Street Journal{/it},22 Jan. 2002

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Culture

Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

The uncanny has been a popular theme in literature, particularly in the works of Sigmund Freud and Edgar Allan Poe, where it is often associated with the subconscious and the supernatural. In art, the uncanny can be seen in the works of artists such as René Magritte and Salvador Dalí, who explored the concept of the uncanny through surrealist imagery. In music, the uncanny can be found in genres such as ambient and electronic music, which often create eerie and unsettling atmospheres.

How to Memorize "uncanny"

1. visualize
   

   - Imagine a doll or an animation that looks almost human but not quite. Visualize the feeling of unease or discomfort that arises from encountering such an entity.

2. associate
   

   - Associate the uncanny with the supernatural or the subconscious. Think of eerie and unsettling situations or experiences.

3. mnemonics
   

   - Use the acronym UNSUNKNOWN to remember the definition: Unfamiliar, Seeming human likeness or supernatural influence, Not quite human, Knowledge or understanding of the unfamiliar.

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