haunting

[ hawn-ting, hahn- ]

See synonyms for haunting on Thesaurus.com

adjective

remaining in the consciousness; not quickly forgotten: haunting music; haunting memories.

noun

the act of a person or thing that haunts; visitation.

Origin of haunting

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at haunt, -ing², -ing¹

Other words from haunting

haunt·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby haunting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use haunting in a sentence

Set in the hills of coal country, it’s the story of four siblings who cling to fading memories while wrestling with a haunting secret.
In-person, virtual, and outdoor theater options abound | Patrick Folliard | July 14, 2021 | Washington Blade
“All That She Carried” is organized around a rare and haunting object.
A humble cloth sack tells a story of enslavement and separation | Marjoleine Kars | July 9, 2021 | Washington Post
Above hang beautiful, glittering stars The haunting voices of ancestors remind Sayet, and all of us, of the connection between past and present.
‘Where We Belong’ explores connection between past, present | Patrick Folliard | July 1, 2021 | Washington Blade
In pages full of haunting illustrations, Seek You prompts readers to look inwards.
Here Are the 11 New Books You Should Read in July | Annabel Gutterman | June 30, 2021 | Time
Cerra has been left, even as Chauvin is sentenced, with a haunting question.
Derek Chauvin Was Just Sentenced to 22 and a Half Years. But America’s Law-Enforcement System Still Isn’t Set Up for Accountability | Janell Ross | June 25, 2021 | Time

This sultry ballad about break-ups and make-ups in the City of Angels is haunting stuff.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More | Marlow Stern | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Those images you took of people saying goodbye to the bodies of their loved ones are particularly haunting.
The Photojournalist Who Stared Down Ebola | Abby Haglage | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
A study in American military control, a haunting sui generis novel, and a playful new short story collection.
This Weeks Hot Reads: November 3, 2014 | Nicholas Mancusi | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I ask Vlad what his worst memory was about his time in Russia, and his answers are haunting.
‘To Russia With Love’: Can Johnny Weir Save Russia’s Gays? | Kevin Fallon | October 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
There was a feeling of sweetness and a haunting beauty in both his personality and his music.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More | Gary Wright | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Amazed, forgetful of their discomfort, the girls listened while the throbbing, haunting melody wailed itself to a close.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle | Laura Lee Hope
I want you to be for ever free from the haunting fear that this Anthony Riggleton shall ever cross your path.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
It has been haunting me ever since we heard him playing that day, and yet I can't think of the name of it.
The Outdoor Girls in the Saddle | Laura Lee Hope
He found her looking paler than her wont, and there was a cloud of sadness on her brow, a haunting sadness in her eyes.
Mistress Wilding | Rafael Sabatini
It is a graceful book, essentially graceful, with its haunting agreeable melancholy, its pleasing savoury of antiquity.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) | Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for haunting

haunting

/ (ˈhɔːntɪŋ) /

adjective

(of memories) poignant or persistent
poignantly sentimental; enchantingly or eerily evocative

Derived forms of haunting

hauntingly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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