haunted
Americanadjective
-
inhabited or frequented by ghosts.
a haunted castle.
-
preoccupied, as with an emotion, memory, or idea; obsessed.
His haunted imagination gave him no peace.
-
disturbed; distressed; worried.
Haunted by doubt he again turned to law books on the subject.
adjective
-
frequented or visited by ghosts
-
(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.
Most Ebola outbreaks tend to be small, but specialists are haunted by the 2014-16 outbreak.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Defensive woes haunted them once more with 33 points allowed on 73.7% shooting in the third quarter, allowing the Aces to pull away.
From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026
Cenet remains haunted by that stop, fearing a "worst-case scenario", he said.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
If you were told the building was haunted, you might attribute that agitation to something supernatural.
From Science Daily • May 3, 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.
