See uncanny valley in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for uncanny valley meaning in English (8.3kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ja",
"3": "不気味の谷",
"tr": "ぶきみのたに, bukimi no tani"
},
"expansion": "Calque of Japanese 不気味の谷 (ぶきみのたに, bukimi no tani)",
"name": "calque"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ltc",
"3": "不",
"t": "not",
"tr": "pjuw"
},
"expansion": "Middle Chinese 不 (pjuw, “not”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ltc",
"2": "氣味",
"lit": "taste and smell",
"t": "sense, sentiment",
"tr": "kì-mjɨ̀j"
},
"expansion": "氣味 (kì-mjɨ̀j, “sense, sentiment”, literally “taste and smell”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ja",
"3": "の",
"pos": "noun modifier particle",
"tr": "no"
},
"expansion": "Japanese の (no, noun modifier particle)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ja",
"2": "谷",
"t": "valley",
"tr": "たに, tani"
},
"expansion": "谷 (たに, tani, “valley”)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Calque of Japanese 不気味の谷 (ぶきみのたに, bukimi no tani), from Middle Chinese 不 (pjuw, “not”) + 氣味 (kì-mjɨ̀j, “sense, sentiment”, literally “taste and smell”) + Japanese の (no, noun modifier particle) + 谷 (たに, tani, “valley”). First used in 1970 by roboticist Masahiro Mori.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "?"
},
"expansion": "uncanny valley",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
"parents": [
"Terms with redundant script codes",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
"parents": [
"Terms with redundant transliterations",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Psychology",
"orig": "en:Psychology",
"parents": [
"Social sciences",
"Sciences",
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1970, Masahiro Mori, “The Uncanny Valley”, in Energy, volume 7, number 4, pages 33–35",
"text": "So in this case, the appearance is quite human like, but the familiarity is negative. This is the uncanny valley.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2006, Sebastiano Bagnara, Gillian Crampton Smith, Theories and Practice in Interaction Design",
"text": "However, when the robot is so similar that it may be momentarily mistaken for real, the transition has a local minimum characterized by a sudden decrease of familiarity, the \"uncanny valley\"—a dip of frustration due to unmet expectations.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2007, Jonathon Keats, Control + Alt + Delete: A Dictionary of Cyberslang",
"text": "Almost human in appearance, yet not quite, the characters in 3-D computer animations are more disturbing than overt caricatures. The realm these creatures occupy is called the uncanny valley […].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Kathleen Richardson, An Anthropology of Robots and AI, Routledge",
"text": "More unusual is perhaps the appropriation of a psychoanalytical theory to robotics–which is, in effect, what the uncanny valley aims to do. Mori's own descriptions of the uncanny follow a similar pattern to Freud's, where he indicates the kinds of events, states, processes or objects that might provoke the uncanny valley, particularly the theme of the dead.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2016 September 22, Kyle Chayka, “Instagram's Creepy New Ads Look Like Posts From Your Friends”, in The Atlantic",
"text": "There’s an uncanny valley effect occurring: Your friends look more like brands, and brands look more like your friends, so it’s increasingly hard to tell which is which. And that’s exactly what businesses want.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A range of appearances, mannerisms, and/or behaviors of a humanoid figure that are subtly different from human and thereby cause feelings of discomfort, such as fear or revulsion."
],
"id": "en-uncanny_valley-en-noun-mxgy8BDp",
"links": [
[
"psychology",
"psychology"
],
[
"appearance",
"appearance"
],
[
"mannerism",
"mannerism"
],
[
"behavior",
"behavior"
],
[
"humanoid",
"humanoid"
],
[
"human",
"human"
],
[
"discomfort",
"discomfort"
],
[
"fear",
"fear"
],
[
"revulsion",
"revulsion"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(psychology) A range of appearances, mannerisms, and/or behaviors of a humanoid figure that are subtly different from human and thereby cause feelings of discomfort, such as fear or revulsion."
],
"topics": [
"human-sciences",
"psychology",
"sciences"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "wādin ḡarīb",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "وَادٍ غَرِيب"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "vall inquietant"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "kǒngbùgǔ",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "恐怖谷"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "outo laakso"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "vallée dérangeante"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "vallée de l’étrange"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Uncanny Valley"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Akzeptanzlücke"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"roman": "émek hamuzárut",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "עמק המוזרות"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "valle perturbante"
},
{
"alt": "ぶきみのたに",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "bukimi no tani",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "不気味の谷"
},
{
"code": "ko",
"lang": "Korean",
"roman": "bulkwaehan goljjagi",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "불쾌한 골짜기"
},
{
"code": "fa",
"english": "dare wahmiyy",
"lang": "Persian",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "دره وهمی"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "dolina niesamowitości"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "vale da estranheza"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "zlovéščaja dolína",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "злове́щая доли́на"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "valle inquietante"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "kusliga dalen"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "kuslighetens dal"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "tekinsiz vadi"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "motorošna dolyna",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "моторошна долина"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Masahiro Mori (roboticist)"
]
}
],
"word": "uncanny valley"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ja",
"3": "不気味の谷",
"tr": "ぶきみのたに, bukimi no tani"
},
"expansion": "Calque of Japanese 不気味の谷 (ぶきみのたに, bukimi no tani)",
"name": "calque"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ltc",
"3": "不",
"t": "not",
"tr": "pjuw"
},
"expansion": "Middle Chinese 不 (pjuw, “not”)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ltc",
"2": "氣味",
"lit": "taste and smell",
"t": "sense, sentiment",
"tr": "kì-mjɨ̀j"
},
"expansion": "氣味 (kì-mjɨ̀j, “sense, sentiment”, literally “taste and smell”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ja",
"3": "の",
"pos": "noun modifier particle",
"tr": "no"
},
"expansion": "Japanese の (no, noun modifier particle)",
"name": "der"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "ja",
"2": "谷",
"t": "valley",
"tr": "たに, tani"
},
"expansion": "谷 (たに, tani, “valley”)",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Calque of Japanese 不気味の谷 (ぶきみのたに, bukimi no tani), from Middle Chinese 不 (pjuw, “not”) + 氣味 (kì-mjɨ̀j, “sense, sentiment”, literally “taste and smell”) + Japanese の (no, noun modifier particle) + 谷 (たに, tani, “valley”). First used in 1970 by roboticist Masahiro Mori.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "?"
},
"expansion": "uncanny valley",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English nouns with unknown or uncertain plurals",
"English terms calqued from Japanese",
"English terms derived from Japanese",
"English terms derived from Middle Chinese",
"English terms with quotations",
"Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
"Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
"en:Psychology"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1970, Masahiro Mori, “The Uncanny Valley”, in Energy, volume 7, number 4, pages 33–35",
"text": "So in this case, the appearance is quite human like, but the familiarity is negative. This is the uncanny valley.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2006, Sebastiano Bagnara, Gillian Crampton Smith, Theories and Practice in Interaction Design",
"text": "However, when the robot is so similar that it may be momentarily mistaken for real, the transition has a local minimum characterized by a sudden decrease of familiarity, the \"uncanny valley\"—a dip of frustration due to unmet expectations.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2007, Jonathon Keats, Control + Alt + Delete: A Dictionary of Cyberslang",
"text": "Almost human in appearance, yet not quite, the characters in 3-D computer animations are more disturbing than overt caricatures. The realm these creatures occupy is called the uncanny valley […].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2015, Kathleen Richardson, An Anthropology of Robots and AI, Routledge",
"text": "More unusual is perhaps the appropriation of a psychoanalytical theory to robotics–which is, in effect, what the uncanny valley aims to do. Mori's own descriptions of the uncanny follow a similar pattern to Freud's, where he indicates the kinds of events, states, processes or objects that might provoke the uncanny valley, particularly the theme of the dead.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2016 September 22, Kyle Chayka, “Instagram's Creepy New Ads Look Like Posts From Your Friends”, in The Atlantic",
"text": "There’s an uncanny valley effect occurring: Your friends look more like brands, and brands look more like your friends, so it’s increasingly hard to tell which is which. And that’s exactly what businesses want.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A range of appearances, mannerisms, and/or behaviors of a humanoid figure that are subtly different from human and thereby cause feelings of discomfort, such as fear or revulsion."
],
"links": [
[
"psychology",
"psychology"
],
[
"appearance",
"appearance"
],
[
"mannerism",
"mannerism"
],
[
"behavior",
"behavior"
],
[
"humanoid",
"humanoid"
],
[
"human",
"human"
],
[
"discomfort",
"discomfort"
],
[
"fear",
"fear"
],
[
"revulsion",
"revulsion"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(psychology) A range of appearances, mannerisms, and/or behaviors of a humanoid figure that are subtly different from human and thereby cause feelings of discomfort, such as fear or revulsion."
],
"topics": [
"human-sciences",
"psychology",
"sciences"
],
"wikipedia": [
"Masahiro Mori (roboticist)"
]
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "ar",
"lang": "Arabic",
"roman": "wādin ḡarīb",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "وَادٍ غَرِيب"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "vall inquietant"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "kǒngbùgǔ",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "恐怖谷"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "outo laakso"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "vallée dérangeante"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "vallée de l’étrange"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Uncanny Valley"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Akzeptanzlücke"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"roman": "émek hamuzárut",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "עמק המוזרות"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "valle perturbante"
},
{
"alt": "ぶきみのたに",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "bukimi no tani",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "不気味の谷"
},
{
"code": "ko",
"lang": "Korean",
"roman": "bulkwaehan goljjagi",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "불쾌한 골짜기"
},
{
"code": "fa",
"english": "dare wahmiyy",
"lang": "Persian",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "دره وهمی"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "dolina niesamowitości"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "vale da estranheza"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "zlovéščaja dolína",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "злове́щая доли́на"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "valle inquietante"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "kusliga dalen"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "kuslighetens dal"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"word": "tekinsiz vadi"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "motorošna dolyna",
"sense": "subtle differences from human behaviour that may cause negative reactions",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "моторошна долина"
}
],
"word": "uncanny valley"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.