adjective
-
of or resembling a ghost; spectral
a ghostly face appeared at the window
-
suggesting the presence of ghosts; eerie
-
archaic of or relating to the soul or spirit
Other Word Forms
- ghostliness noun
- unghostly adjective
Etymology
Origin of ghostly
before 900; Middle English; Old English gāstlīc. See ghost, -ly
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.
And Kate Bush’s immortal 1978 single, with its swooping, operatic drama, interpretive dance–filled video and ghostly narrator only strengthened the book’s rep as a tale of exquisitely tortured love.
From Salon • Feb. 21, 2026
Because of this, they are better able to withstand gravitational tidal disruption, making them dependable tracers of faint and ghostly galaxies like CDG-2.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2026
The subjects are seated on sets that are celestial-looking in their angular bareness, and nearly all are photographed with ghostly shadows cast across their faces.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
Warm orchestral strings and Renshaw’s ghostly vocals serve as vehicles for big emotional builds over the scattered drums, painting a sonic picture of how messy the heavy moments can feel.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025
Then Mr. Pinkerton stepped over and shook hands with the ghostly figure, offering hearty congratulations.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
