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.
An action-packed supernatural thriller: Netflix’s new No. 1 show, Below, stars Josh Hartnett as a brooding Newfoundlander haunted by something supernatural lurking in the ocean’s depths.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
From pumpkin festivals and haunted mazes to zombie experiences, businesses say demand for Halloween events has soared as the celebration grows from a single night into a month-long attraction.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
That’s what we did in our recent Zoom conversation about the mythic creator, writer and actor who has haunted us for most of a century by changing TV for the better.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
He later describes his work as “cleansing the world of an ancient evil,” and is haunted by a ghastly vision of a spirit he encountered abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Though Cowboy was haunted by the knowledge of what Ernest had done, he adored Mollie.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
