haunting
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
(of memories) poignant or persistent
-
poignantly sentimental; enchantingly or eerily evocative
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of haunting
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at haunt, -ing 2, -ing 1
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.
Brody couldn’t ask for a better scene partner than Thompson, an accomplished theater actor who gives haunting texture to a character unique in both her imperfections and seductive appeal.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026
A world premiere by Gregory Spears casts a veil of dream-like haunting over the story of Sleeping Beauty.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026
But the phantoms of the past remain, haunting our dreams and taunting us with the comfort of imagined reconciliation, until we wake up and it slips away.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
A concern haunting investors is that Apple appears to be easing into AI while rivals Google, Microsoft and OpenAI race ahead.
From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026
We couldn't see them from outside the prison, but their voices rang out just the same—the voices were haunting because they were disembodied, but they were full of excitement and hopefulness.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
