plural hauntings
: an act of haunting
especially
: visitation or inhabitation by a ghost
… its early history is replete with drama: duels, murders, shipwrecks, … even ghostly hauntings. —
Sally Gibson
Sally Gibson When asked about hauntings on Tuesday's tour, [Albert] Walavich said he knew he would get a question about ghosts on Halloween, but he doesn't believe any haunt the grounds. —Taylor Hartz
Taylor Hartz
: having qualities (such as sadness or beauty) that linger in the memory : not easily forgotten
a haunting melody
haunting images
… pale, branchless tree trunks with a haunting, Georgia O'Keeffe quality …—Susannah Master
Susannah Masterhaunting
3 of 3present participle of haunt entry 1
Synonyms
Examples of haunting in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebShannon Carlin, TIME, 3 May 2024
The Nazi apparition in Lali’s living room is no less haunting for being poorly remembered.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
In New York, after Yankee stadium was deserted, the ghosts and legends of The House that Ruth Built had only to look out for traffic, then float across the street to get back to their haunting.
—Ellen Murphy, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
The killing of 6-year-old Aiden Leos on an Orange County freeway is a haunting and cautionary tale.
—Robin Abcarian, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024
The tactic obliges viewers to lean forward and intuit meaning from Smith’s haunting, hypnotic sermons on death as they’re forced to exist in close proximity to actual death and destruction.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Feb. 2024
These haunting sounds prompt a reflection on our collective responsibility to the Earth, turning the art installation into a poignant environmental commentary.
—Shelby Knick, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
Some 15 years later, Merry faces her family’s haunting past when a journalist is assigned to help tell her side of the story and uncovers the very nature of evil.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024
For many years, the American artist has been examining the Golden Record in films, sculptures and works on paper that are hilarious, haunting and brilliantly inventive.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
But the most haunting place in the collection was Estación Canfranc, high in the Spanish Pyrenees.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024
New work takes time to gestate, and already this play has left a haunting mark.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The movie's first poster might confirm this, showing Phoenix dipping Gaga in a haunting dance as light seems to trickle in from one of the asylum's windows.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
As this haunting production warns us, there’s nothing more terrifying than that.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
So too, however, is the pressure on the team to perform this year; not only because of their $1-billion offseason spending spree, but also the haunting memories of their recent postseason collapses.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Now searching for a new owner: Downtown Los Angeles high-rise rich in colorful anecdotes from its history, albeit most quite haunting.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
One of the most haunting parts of that book was about the failure of the European allies, particularly France and Great Britain to face Hitler when stopping him would have been relatively easy.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
Noun
The haunting and ethereal Folklore-esque track provides a bit of closure for shocked viewers, and acts as a Cliff’s Notes for anyone who didn’t read the best-seller.
—Shannon Carlin, TIME, 3 May 2024
The Nazi apparition in Lali’s living room is no less haunting for being poorly remembered.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
In New York, after Yankee stadium was deserted, the ghosts and legends of The House that Ruth Built had only to look out for traffic, then float across the street to get back to their haunting.
—Ellen Murphy, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2024
The killing of 6-year-old Aiden Leos on an Orange County freeway is a haunting and cautionary tale.
—Robin Abcarian, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024
The tactic obliges viewers to lean forward and intuit meaning from Smith’s haunting, hypnotic sermons on death as they’re forced to exist in close proximity to actual death and destruction.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 Feb. 2024
These haunting sounds prompt a reflection on our collective responsibility to the Earth, turning the art installation into a poignant environmental commentary.
—Shelby Knick, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
Some 15 years later, Merry faces her family’s haunting past when a journalist is assigned to help tell her side of the story and uncovers the very nature of evil.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024
For many years, the American artist has been examining the Golden Record in films, sculptures and works on paper that are hilarious, haunting and brilliantly inventive.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
Adjective
This is the story of the creatives behind The Angel Island Project, a haunting, beautiful collaboration between the Del Sol Quartet and composer Huang Ruo, which weaves together poetry and music.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
But the most haunting place in the collection was Estación Canfranc, high in the Spanish Pyrenees.
—Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024
New work takes time to gestate, and already this play has left a haunting mark.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The movie's first poster might confirm this, showing Phoenix dipping Gaga in a haunting dance as light seems to trickle in from one of the asylum's windows.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
As this haunting production warns us, there’s nothing more terrifying than that.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
So too, however, is the pressure on the team to perform this year; not only because of their $1-billion offseason spending spree, but also the haunting memories of their recent postseason collapses.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Now searching for a new owner: Downtown Los Angeles high-rise rich in colorful anecdotes from its history, albeit most quite haunting.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024
One of the most haunting parts of that book was about the failure of the European allies, particularly France and Great Britain to face Hitler when stopping him would have been relatively easy.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'haunting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near haunting
Cite this Entry
“Haunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haunting. Accessed 9 May. 2024.
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