1.
eerie; uncanny; creepy; ominous
Describes something that gives an unsettling or sinister feeling, often because it is strange or difficult to explain. Used for atmospheres, appearances, sounds, and situations that provoke unease.
不気味な音がした。
There was an eerie sound.
夜の森は不気味な雰囲気だった。
The forest at night had a creepy atmosphere.
誰もいないはずの部屋から不気味な光が漏れていた。
An eerie light was leaking from a room where no one should have been.
USAGE:
不気味 is a na-adjective used both as a modifier (不気味な + noun) and predicatively (不気味だ). The word describes a feeling of unease caused by something strange or inexplicable.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 不気味な雰囲気 (eerie atmosphere)
- 不気味な笑い (creepy laugh)
- 不気味な沈黙 (ominous silence)
- 不気味に光る (to glow eerily)
SIMILAR WORDS:
怖い describes straightforward fear, while 不気味 emphasizes the unsettling strangeness that causes unease. 薄気味悪い is a stronger synonym meaning even creepier or more unsettling.