as in ghouls
a female spirit in Irish and Scottish stories who cries loudly to warn people that someone is going to die soon
claimed to have heard the terrifying wail of a banshee
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Recent Examples of banshees
His bronc riders look more like pietàs in mud; his barrel racers scream like banshees on horseback.
—
Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Casey Cep, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banshees
Noun
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Created by a number of its stars, Ghosts originated on the BBC in 2019, following a group of ghouls from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
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Now working as a stocker, Ash accidentally unleashes undead ghouls after reading from the Necronomicon, forcing him to take up his chainsaw yet again to save humanity from the Deadites.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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That’s an intriguing philosophical swerve for the series that, however late arriving, paves the way for an unexpectedly moving epilogue after God honors Aziraphale and Crowley’s request to remake the universe as a place without gods or demons.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
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Prime Video's fantasy series about angels, demons and good and evil is returning May 13 for what was meant to be a third and final season.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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Just in time for Halloween, the sonic phantoms that have long plagued the ladies of The View have seemingly possessed inanimate objects over on the Live With Kelly and Mark set.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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However, when stars have a binary partner, white dwarfs can spring back to life like cosmic vampires by stripping material off these companion stars.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 May 2026
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Pajak’s Sam must drive home the lesson that the real vampires are those creatures who try to steal your true soul — your individuality.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
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What is Wuthering Heights without ghosts?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
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His journey will unravel past ghosts and future misdeeds.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The score by Joseph Bishara is shivery with chorales that moan like wraiths in the wind.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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The earliest depictions of slavery were already crawling with the terrible proceedings the Gothic tends to depict, from bloody whippings to family curses to the wrathful wraiths of the slain enslaved.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The museum site has been a paranormal hotbed for decades, with sightings of apparitions, security camera footage capturing items flying off shelves, as well as experiences from staff members and visitors.—
Gregory Harutunian,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Activist spirits might dismiss this emphasis on the purely sonic as a strategy of avoidance, although the likes of Feizabadi and Kourliandski can’t be accused of sitting idly by.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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There are flavored vodkas like strawberry and blueberry, agave spirits and gin.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Banshees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banshees. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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