Meaning & use
eldritch
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Strange and frightening in a way that seems not to belong to the normal world, as if from a supernatural source.
Grammar: Usually placed before a noun: an eldritch glow, an eldritch cry.
Patterns
- an eldritch light
- an eldritch sound
An eldritch light flickered among the ruins of the abbey.
The forest was filled with eldritch whispers that nobody could explain.
Writers of horror often describe an eldritch creature that cannot be named.
Common combinations
- an eldritch shriek
- An eldritch shriek echoed over the moor.
- an eldritch glow
- The lantern cast an eldritch glow on the walls.
- eldritch horror
- The game is a tale of eldritch horror in a remote village.
- an eldritch figure
- An eldritch figure stood motionless at the end of the corridor.
- eldritch laughter
- Eldritch laughter drifted from the empty house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- eerie
- Eerie is a common everyday word for something spooky and uncomfortable, while eldritch is rarer and suggests a stronger supernatural strangeness.
- uncanny
- Uncanny describes something strange because it is almost familiar, whereas eldritch suggests a foreign, otherworldly source.
- unearthly
- Unearthly emphasizes that something seems not of this world and can also be a compliment, while eldritch is always sinister.
- spectral
- Spectral is tied to ghosts and pale, ghostly images, whereas eldritch is broader and may describe sounds or creatures.
Opposites
Word family
- eldritchly adverb
- in a strange, supernatural way (rare)
Practice
Which phrase best fits the word 'eldritch'?
Choose one answer.
Eldritch describes something strange and sinister that seems supernatural, which suits a cry from a dark moor. The other phrases describe ordinary or pleasant things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eldritch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.