Uncanny describes something that feels strangely familiar yet unsettling at the same time, like you almost recognize it but something is slightly off. When you see a robot with a too-realistic human face, hear your own voice played back on a recording, or walk into a place that reminds you powerfully of somewhere else but isn't quite the same, that eerie feeling is uncanny.

The word often appears when things are almost right but not quite. An uncanny resemblance between two people means they look so similar it's almost creepy. An uncanny silence might fall over a usually noisy place, making you feel oddly uncomfortable. Some people have an uncanny ability to predict what others are thinking, which can seem almost supernatural even when there's a logical explanation.

Writers and filmmakers often create uncanny moments deliberately to make audiences feel that distinctive unease, that sense that something familiar has become mysteriously strange.