Synonyms of haunting

haunting 1 of 2

adjective

as in eerie

fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic

the haunting tones of the Highland bagpipes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eerie
• creepy
• weird
• spooky
• uncanny
• unearthly
• bizarre
• mysterious
• spectral
• terrifying
• ghostly
• unusual
• spookish
• ghoulish
• curious
• ghostlike
• quirky
• ghastly
• enigmatic
• odd
• quaint
• uncommon
• peculiar
• supernatural
• metaphysical
• outlandish
• horrible
• horrifying
• puzzling
• terrible
• outré
• inscrutable
• queerish
• dreadful
• preternatural
• unaccustomed
• fearsome

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• common
• normal
• typical
• ordinary
• usual
• everyday
• routine
• commonplace
• natural
• prosaic
• unremarkable
• familiar
• unexceptional
• predictable
• expected

haunting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of haunt

as in visiting

to go to or spend time in often

much of her time is spent haunting antique shops in search of unique knobs for the curio cabinets she builds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• visiting
• frequenting
• affecting
• hanging (at)
• resorting (to)
• habituating
• invading
• patronizing
• attending
• swarming
• running (in)
• infesting
• calling (on or upon)
• stopping (by or in)
• stopping (over)
• staying (at)
• taking in
• dropping in
• popping (in)
• camping (out in)
• dropping by
• overrunning
• sojourning (at)
• tarrying (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• shaking
• escaping
• evading
• shunning
• eluding
• dodging
• ducking
• eschewing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of haunting

Adjective

As tensions rise and boundaries begin to blur, their grandmother’s frail presence takes on an increasingly disturbing quality, turning a once-idyllic summer into a haunting passage into adulthood. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026

Ishiguro’s novel is a haunting, sad story about loss and time passing and the nature of humanity, and this seems quite a bit cuter than that. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 14 Sep. 2026

Verb

Its lyrics were haunting, so much so that Eurovision parent organization the European Broadcasting Union required a rewrite for its entry. — Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026

Balfe is haunting as a mother whose absence hollows out everything around her. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026