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
Cities far below the International Space Station (ISS) and stars far in the cosmic distance create ghostly trails of light in this long-exposure photograph from NASA astronaut Chris Williams.
—
Brett Tingley, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Dozens of ghostly, see-through bodies gliding through dark underground water, armed with teeth and claws, completely hidden from the world above.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
The book’s heroine, Catherine Morland, is an avid reader of the popular novels of the day, and has a specific fondness for Ann Radcliffe’s real-life 1794 best seller, The Mysteries of Udolpho, a tale of ghostly figures and hidden manuscripts.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
That phrase will take on new meaning this July as Disneyland announced its famed ghostly estate will become available for weddings for the first time.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghostly
Brett Tingley, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Dozens of ghostly, see-through bodies gliding through dark underground water, armed with teeth and claws, completely hidden from the world above.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
The book’s heroine, Catherine Morland, is an avid reader of the popular novels of the day, and has a specific fondness for Ann Radcliffe’s real-life 1794 best seller, The Mysteries of Udolpho, a tale of ghostly figures and hidden manuscripts.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
That phrase will take on new meaning this July as Disneyland announced its famed ghostly estate will become available for weddings for the first time.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghostly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghostly
Adjective
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This is spectral accountability in miniature.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
2 Mar. 2026
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Still, the Kramers have found that a little spectral marketing doesn’t hurt.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Then there's SpongeBob SquarePants, whose latest movie finds the iconic character venturing to the creepy Underworld with a dastardly phantom pirate.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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Through the striking comparison of yesterday’s expectations and the mundane reality of those who were born and raised in the shadow of a phantom project, Rosario Minervini performs a dissection of clinical precision of the delays that have weighed down Italy’s collective psyche over time.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ghostly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghostly. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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