haunting

1 of 3

noun

haunt·​ing ˈhȯn-tiŋ 

ˈhän-

plural hauntings

: an act of haunting

especially : visitation or inhabitation by a ghost

… its early history is replete with drama: duels, murders, shipwrecks, … even ghostly hauntings.

—Sally Gibson

When asked about hauntings on Tuesday's tour, [Albert] Walavich said he knew he would get a question about ghosts on Halloween, but he doesn't believe any haunt the grounds.

—Taylor Hartz

haunting

2 of 3

adjective

: having qualities (such as sadness or beauty) that linger in the memory : not easily forgotten

a haunting melody

haunting images

… pale, branchless tree trunks with a haunting, Georgia O'Keeffe quality …

—Susannah Master

haunting

3 of 3

present participle of haunt entry 1

Synonyms

Adjective

• creepy
• eerie
• eery
• spookish
• spooky
• uncanny
• unearthly
• weird

Examples of haunting in a Sentence

Adjective

the haunting tones of the Highland bagpipes

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Brown created Ghost Story, the hit podcast about the host’s incredible journey discovering what happened with a potential haunting in his bedroom as a teenager and how that intersected with his wife’s ancestry. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 July 2024

In May, Cooper talked about the 2019 incident, one of the most haunting in his 19-year career, with The Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, at the cemetery where Mendoza first tried to kill his victim. —Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 6 July 2024

Adjective

Following a Mexican child’s attempts to use three wishes to seek vengeance against the drug cartel that killed her mother, the film combines magical realism and hard-hitting historical and current realities to create something haunting, horrible, and true. —Will Harris, EW.com, 12 July 2024

The historical resonance of this week’s gathering is haunting — and also, perhaps, oddly reassuring. —David Ignatius, Washington Post, 9 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "frequenting a place, dwelling place," from haunten "to frequent, haunt entry 1" + -ing -ing entry 1

Adjective

from present participle of haunt entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1823, in the meaning defined above