Synonyms of ghost

ghost 1 of 2

noun

ˈgōst 

1

as in apparition

the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people

looked for ghosts in the graveyard on Halloween

Synonyms & Similar Words

• apparition
• spirit
• phantom
• haunt
• wraith
• poltergeist
• shadow
• specter
• vampire
• zombie
• spook
• demon
• sprite
• angel
• phantasm
• vision
• materialization
• ghoul
• visitant
• familiar spirit
• bogey
• hant
• shade
• daimon
• familiar
• genie
• doppelgänger
• double
• fetch
• devil
• incubus
• succubus
• genius
• jinni
• lemures
• manes
• imp
• shaitan
• lamia
• fiend
• cacodemon

2

as in damn

the smallest amount or part imaginable

she may be a good endurance runner, but she doesn't stand a ghost of a chance of winning in a sprint

Synonyms & Similar Words

• damn
• hoot
• whit
• lick
• shred
• little
• bit
• syllable
• darn
• fig
• beans
• rap
• continental
• modicum
• tittle
• squat
• whoop
• iota
• touch
• jot
• doodley-squat
• hint
• ray
• particle
• glimmer
• speck
• diddly-squat
• pin
• diddly
• shadow
• suspicion
• ounce
• trace
• semblance
• streak
• sprinkling
• bubkes
• mite
• peanuts
• scrap
• ace
• spot
• strain
• crumb
• scruple
• smidgen
• nip
• shade
• dab
• driblet
• skosh
• snap

3

as in relic

a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished

the down-at-the-heels town house is but a ghost of the neighborhood's former grandeur

Synonyms & Similar Words

• relic
• trace
• shadow
• artifact
• remnant
• echo
• vestige
• reminder
• corpse
• memento
• afterimage
• remembrance
• hangover
• rest
• aftertaste
• remainder
• leftover
• remain(s)
• residual
• residue
• leavings
• scrap
• balance
• dreg(s)
• oddment

4

as in demon

an evil spirit

the vengeful ghosts of seamen who were deliberately shipwrecked upon these shores

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demon
• ghoul
• vampire
• devil
• nightmare
• wraith
• fairy
• spirit
• goblin
• imp
• genie
• elf
• ghoulie
• monster
• banshee
• phantom
• fiend
• cacodemon
• dwarf
• apparition
• hag
• shaitan
• poltergeist
• troll
• specter
• incubus
• succubus
• spook
• puck
• lamia
• shadow
• vision
• faerie
• phantasm
• pixie
• familiar
• gnome
• gremlin
• sprite
• leprechaun
• jinni
• familiar spirit
• bugbear
• brownie
• ogre
• hobgoblin
• bogey
• fay
• genius
• shade
• afreet
• kobold

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• angel

ghost

2 of 2

verb

as in to pad

Related Words

• pad
• worm
• mouse
• tiptoe
• creep
• snake
• edge
• crawl
• inch
• steal
• sneak
• slide
• lurk
• skulk
• slink
• slip
• shirk
• pussyfoot
• mooch

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ghost

Noun

Brought to the region to address economic and environmental woes shaped by the ghost of plantation slavery, kudzu was later abandoned as shifting needs rendered the plant unnecessary. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Aug. 2026

Centering consumer protection In 2020, a ghost candidate scheme that helped unseat Rodriguez relied on paying candidates to run who had no plans to win but could shave votes from Democratic candidates. — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026

Verb

According to Instagram memes and TikTok videos, navy sheets signify the type of man who is wary of labels, will ghost you without warning, and is definitely emotionally unavailable. — Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 27 May 2026

The singer-songwriter, 61, claimed in an interview with NME that Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong ghosted her after recruiting her to produce the band's follow-up record to 2004's American Idiot. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE, 25 May 2026

Phrases Containing ghost

• give up the ghost