haunting 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of hauntingnext
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic the haunting tones of the Highland bagpipes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of haunting
Adjective
The exhibition’s lighting slowly reveals another haunting detail. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 21 July 2026 This is a moody, weird, haunting, often beautiful film, punctuated by sudden violence and horror. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Verb
This is smart, haunting filmmaking, an announcement of a major new horror talent. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 24 July 2026 Rossum, by contrast, conjures a woman unable to enjoy anything; her dead-eyed smiles, meant (unsuccessfully) to put others at ease, are haunting. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for haunting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haunting
  1. eerie
  2. visiting
  3. creepy
  4. frequenting
  5. affecting
Adjective
  • Seeing an old bulky PC with a PC-DOS command line OS takes those of us of a certain age back to the heady days when computers were exciting and new, even though they had not yet been endowed with the eerie cognitive powers of LLMs.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The ascent to Les Angles was eerie and airy, Pogačar outkicking Vingegaard to take yellow and his first of five stages in this edition.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of eerie
Verb
  • Louisville's role as bourbon's home base keeps growing When visiting bourbon country, Louisville is typically a go-to jumping off point.
    — Emily Price, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026
  • Tridib, while visiting Dhaka to bring a granduncle back to India, is killed by a mob in his mother’s ancestral neighborhood.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
Definition of visiting
Adjective
  • Or maybe his creepy siblings are in the building also and soon Negan will be in the most terrifying encounter of his life.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • Some people see swamps as sloughs of despond; dark, miasmic places filled with creepy, shadowy creatures.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of creepy
Verb
  • After completing his four-year stretch, Clayton-Thomas in 1962 began frequenting the music scene on the Yonge Street strip, when Arkansas rockabilly great Ronnie Hawkins gave him his first paying job in music.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
  • Arthur Van Wyk, who produces comedy events in Durban, began frequenting the bar some three decades ago.
    — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
Definition of frequenting
Verb
  • The effects of weather disruptions ripple through regional supply chains, affecting everything from aviation and manufacturing to insurance and public health.
    — Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, reports have emerged of a minor vulnerability affecting the Bitkey bitcoin hardware wallet developed by Jack Dorsey’s Block payments company.
    — Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of affecting

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Cite this Entry

“Haunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haunting. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on haunting

Nglish: Translation of haunting for Spanish Speakers

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