haunted

[hawn-tid, hahn-]

adjective

1. inhabited or frequented by ghosts.

   a haunted castle.

2. preoccupied, as with an emotion, memory, or idea; obsessed.

   His haunted imagination gave him no peace.

3. disturbed; distressed; worried.

   Haunted by doubt he again turned to law books on the subject.

haunted

/ ˈhɔːntɪd /

adjective

1. frequented or visited by ghosts

2. (postpositive) obsessed or worried

Other Word Forms

• unhaunted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haunted¹

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; haunt, -ed ²

Example Sentences

“We appreciate that some people are still haunted by memories of the past,” the company said, “but the U.S. nuclear industry evolved and improved.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The piano-black plastic material on the console and around door switches might actually be haunted; fingerprints appear mysteriously overnight.

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The same stigma concern has long haunted a different Fed lending tool, the discount window, because it is sometimes used by banks facing crises.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For other Chechen women who have fled, Aishat's death has reinvigorated a fear that has haunted them since they left Russia.

Read more on BBC

Ardvrek is said to be haunted by the ghostly figure of a man, and a weeping woman.

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Related Words

• obsessed