haunting
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
(of memories) poignant or persistent
-
poignantly sentimental; enchantingly or eerily evocative
Other Word Forms
- hauntingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of haunting
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; haunt, -ing 2, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The haunting discovery inspired Stoppard to write a multigenerational Jewish family epic that ends with an English-raised boy who doesn’t even know he’s Jewish.
There is still plenty of plastic haunting this roomy space.
From MarketWatch
Lastly, the haunting 2½-minute “Elegie” salutes Jimi Hendrix and is delivered in three verses: “There must be something I can dream tonight / The air is filled with the moves of you.”
The Oscars’ international feature class of 2026 includes sweeping epics, intense thrillers, black comedies and haunting dramas, but three submissions put young female performers at the forefront.
From Los Angeles Times
She put it to the back of her mind for a while, despite thinking it was a sign, but it crept back up: “It kept haunting me that this was something I should do.”
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
