haunting

[ hawn-ting, hahn- ]

/ ˈhɔn tɪŋ, ˈhɑn- /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

Origin of haunting

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

Related formshaunt·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for haunting (2 of 2)

haunt

[ hawnt, hahnt; for 10 also hant ]

/ hɔnt, hɑnt; for 10 also hænt /

verb (used with object)

to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost: to haunt a house; to haunt a person.

to recur persistently to the consciousness of; remain with: Memories of love haunted him.

to visit frequently; go to often: He haunted the galleries and bars that the artists went to.

to frequent the company of; be often with: He haunted famous men, hoping to gain celebrity for himself.

to disturb or distress; cause to have anxiety; trouble; worry: His youthful escapades came back to haunt him.

verb (used without object)

to reappear continually as a spirit or ghost.

to visit habitually or regularly.

to remain persistently; loiter; stay; linger.

noun

Often haunts. a place frequently visited: to return to one's old haunts.

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. and North England. a ghost.

Origin of haunt

1200–50; Middle English haunten < Old French hanter to frequent, probably < Old Norse heimta to lead home, derivative of heim homewards; see home

SYNONYMS FOR haunt

3 frequent.

5 obsess, beset, vex, plague.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR haunt ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formshaunt·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for haunting

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|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|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|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|DAILY BEAST

Television news can be a glorious medium, filled with striking human drama and haunting sorrow.
We Interrupt This Broadcast: How a TV Producer Learned to Write Fiction|George Lerner|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She seemed to be troubled with some haunting suspicion that this was not an orthodox cat.
The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 20, March 25, 1897|Various
They take up their abode in a dwelling which has absolutely no traditions of haunting.
Ghosts I Have Seen|Violet Tweedale
Her pallor, her most haunting stare, have already sown chaos in the heart of a certain important personage.
Clair de Lune|Michael Strange
The Norumbia was off the Banks, and the second day of fog was cold as if icebergs were haunting the opaque pallor around her.
The March Family Trilogy, Complete|William Dean Howells
It possessed a beauty that left me helpless—yet there was an indefinable sadness in it that might have suggested a haunting fear.
Wings of the Wind|Credo Harris

British Dictionary definitions for haunting (1 of 2)

haunting

/ (ˈhɔːntɪŋ) /

adjective

(of memories) poignant or persistent

poignantly sentimental; enchantingly or eerily evocative

Derived Formshauntingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for haunting (2 of 2)

haunt

/ (hɔːnt) /

verb

to visit (a person or place) in the form of a ghost

(tr) to intrude upon or recur to (the memory, thoughts, etc)he was haunted by the fear of insanity

to visit (a place) frequently

to associate with (someone) frequently

noun

(often plural) a place visited frequentlyan old haunt of hers

a place to which animals habitually resort for food, drink, shelter, etc

Derived Formshaunter, noun

Word Origin for haunt

C13: from Old French hanter, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse heimta to bring home, Old English hāmettan to give a home to; see home

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

Word Origin and History for haunting (1 of 2)

haunt

"place frequently visited," c.1300, also in Middle English, "habit, custom" (early 14c.), from haunt (v.). The meaning "spirit that haunts a place, ghost" is first recorded 1843, originally in stereotypical U.S. black speech.

Word Origin and History for haunting (1 of 2)

haunt

early 13c., "to practice habitually, busy oneself with, take part in," from Old French hanter "to frequent, resort to, be familiar with" (12c.), probably from Old Norse heimta "bring home," from Proto-Germanic *haimat-janan, from *haimaz- (see home). Meaning "to frequent (a place)" is c.1300 in English. Use in reference to a spirit returning to the house where it had lived perhaps was in Proto-Germanic, but it was reinforced by Shakespeare's plays, and it is first recorded 1590 in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Related: Haunted; haunting. Middle English hauntingly meant "frequently;" sense of "so as to haunt one's thoughts or memory" is from 1859.

haunting

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of haunting

Definition for haunting (2 of 2)

haunt

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of haunt

Examples from the Web for haunting

British Dictionary definitions for haunting (1 of 2)

haunting

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for haunting (2 of 2)

haunt

verb

noun

Word Origin for haunt

Word Origin and History for haunting (1 of 2)

haunt

Word Origin and History for haunting (1 of 2)

haunt