haunting

1 of 3

noun

haunt·​ing ˈhȯn-tiŋ 

ˈhän-

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

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

haunting

2 of 3

adjective

: 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

haunting

3 of 3

present participle of haunt entry 1

Synonyms

Adjective

• creepy
• eerie
• eery
• spookish
• spooky
• uncanny
• unearthly
• weird

Examples of haunting in a Sentence

Adjective

the haunting tones of the Highland bagpipes

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The other three were about hauntings, and this one is about reckoning, in a way. —Jack Smart, People.com, 8 May 2025

Neither are the hauntings inflicted upon us by our pasts. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025

Adjective

The case is haunting, the mystery compelling, and the international threads gripping. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 5 May 2025

Cruise portrayed two of the most haunting characters of his career around the time Bale was watching him on the talk show circuit, as a megalomaniacal motivational speaker in Magnolia and a man pulled into a dangerous web of cultish goings-on in Eyes Wide Shut. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "frequenting a place, dwelling place," from haunten "to frequent, haunt entry 1" + -ing -ing entry 1

Adjective

from present participle of haunt entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1823, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for haunting

• daunting
• flaunting
• shantung
• taunting
• vaunting
• wanting