as in spectral
of or relating to a ghost
A ghostly figure appears in the house at night.
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Recent Examples of ghostly
Maybe the ghostly energy of the artist does lives on in the art, the way an author’s imagination remains in the ink on the page.
—
Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Modern science tends to see consciousness as arising from neural activity, like ghostly software conjured through the brain’s material hardware.
—Conor Feehly, Big Think, 10 Mar. 2026
The lights grow hazy, and the friends seem to see the ghostly images of their younger selves dancing alongside them.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
But from the tomb of Philip’s father, Charles V, comes a booming ghostly voice, and Carlo is led away into darkness.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghostly
Literary Hub, 19 Mar. 2026
Modern science tends to see consciousness as arising from neural activity, like ghostly software conjured through the brain’s material hardware.
—Conor Feehly, Big Think, 10 Mar. 2026
The lights grow hazy, and the friends seem to see the ghostly images of their younger selves dancing alongside them.
—Anna Russell, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
But from the tomb of Philip’s father, Charles V, comes a booming ghostly voice, and Carlo is led away into darkness.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghostly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghostly
Adjective
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Across this soppy set of songs, the sum of these frictions is cyborgish and spectral, music from a MacBook whose dying wish was to see the world.—
Samuel Hyland,
Pitchfork,
15 Apr. 2026
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In the photographs taken that day, Bruce has a spectral beauty, as if conjured out of the air.—
Andrew Durbin,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The phantom page is usually a collection of additional content suggestions or a pop-up that tries to eke out a few more clicks from each visitor.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
14 Apr. 2026
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One of them is the aforementioned passerby in the corridor, known here as the Walking Man (Yamato Kochi), who, far from being just a phantom projection, winds up embarking on his own tragic adventure.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ghostly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghostly. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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