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
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.
Many Pacific islands are "still haunted by the legacy of World War II fought in the region, as well as the long term effects of nuclear testing", said Nobetau.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
The evocations of inherited sin, historical guilt and supernatural horror established a model for a haunted literary tradition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Finally understanding what they’re up against still doesn’t give him any answers about what made this place so damn haunted.
From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026
Arguably the most romantic line of the year comes when one boy tells the other that if he’s going to be haunted, “I want it to look like you.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
For the next two years or so Mompesson’s house was haunted by a poltergeist.2 There were drumming noises but also strange levitations of objects and alarming noises.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
