Freaky means strange, unusual, or unsettling in a way that makes you feel a little uncomfortable or creeped out. When something is freaky, it might give you goosebumps or make you say “whoa, that's weird!” A freaky coincidence happens when two unlikely things line up in a surprising way, like running into your teacher on the exact same remote hiking trail you're visiting on vacation, hundreds of miles from home.

The word often describes things that are eerie or unnatural. A freaky noise in an old house at night, a freaky dream that feels too real, or a freaky-looking insect you've never seen before all share that quality of being unsettling or bizarre. Sometimes people use freaky more playfully to mean extremely unusual or surprisingly intense, like freaky weather when it snows in April, or a freaky talent someone has for memorizing long lists of numbers.

The informal phrase freaking out means panicking or losing your cool when something stresses or scares you. If your friend is freaking out before a big presentation, they're anxious and agitated. You might tell them to calm down and take a deep breath. A similar phrase, freaked out, describes feeling shocked or disturbed by something unexpected.