haunted
Americanadjective
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inhabited or frequented by ghosts.
a haunted castle.
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preoccupied, as with an emotion, memory, or idea; obsessed.
His haunted imagination gave him no peace.
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disturbed; distressed; worried.
Haunted by doubt he again turned to law books on the subject.
adjective
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frequented or visited by ghosts
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(postpositive) obsessed or worried
Other Word Forms
- unhaunted adjective
Etymology
Origin of haunted
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at haunt, -ed 2
Explanation
Something that's haunted seems to have ghosts. Visiting a scary haunted house is a great, if terrifying, way to spend Halloween night. Ghosts, or spooky apparitions, are what makes a place haunted. You might truly believe your grandparents' house is haunted, or it might just seem that way because of the scary creaks and groans in the night, the cobwebs in dark corners, and the dim lighting. You can also describe a person as haunted when she's obsessed with or tormented by something: "I was haunted by the memory of my cat killing that poor mouse."
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.
While Japan was long haunted by deflation, it has more recently faced a surge in living costs.
From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026
And Alison is the kind of plucky heroine who teases her lover about his research: “Lost treasures, haunted priories, secret maps? I think I saw that movie once.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
I am haunted by the questions I should have asked and the clues that I missed.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
But Google Maps, itself seemingly haunted, insisted the boxy plant off of Highway 17 was Griffin’s.
From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026
Being Autumn’s best friend means that I’ve been to my fair share of haunted forests—some pretty good ones too—but I quickly realize that all of them were just pale imitations of the real deal.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
