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
Examples of haunting in a Sentence
Adjective
the haunting tones of the Highland bagpipes
Recent Examples on the Web
Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
The music endows the revival with a fluidity that is made all the more haunting by the otherworldly echoes of Peter Rice’s sound design.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Her fate remains one of literature’s most haunting unsolved mysteries, drawing the fascination of scholars, writers and literary enthusiasts.
—Patti Callahan Henry, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haunting
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Noun
Steven Soderbergh spooks Sundance with the haunting (and surprisingly funny) Presence
Their boss, Arthur Stieglitz (Brosnan), is a force to be reckoned with — a menacing figure who demands precision and flawless work from his employees.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2025
The music endows the revival with a fluidity that is made all the more haunting by the otherworldly echoes of Peter Rice’s sound design.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
But the song’s piano version, recorded earlier in 2018, is sparser and even more haunting.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Her fate remains one of literature’s most haunting unsolved mysteries, drawing the fascination of scholars, writers and literary enthusiasts.
—Patti Callahan Henry, People.com, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for haunting
Cite this Entry
“Haunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haunting. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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