wraith

American  

[reyth] / reɪθ /

noun

1. an apparition of a living person supposed to portend their death.

2. a visible spirit.

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wraith British  

/ reɪθ /

noun

1. the apparition of a person living or thought to be alive, supposed to appear around the time of his death

2. a ghost or any apparition

3. an insubstantial copy of something

4. something pale, thin, and lacking in substance, such as a column of smoke

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Other Word Forms

• wraithlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of wraith

First recorded in 1505–15; originally Scots; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

A former New Yorker uprooted to the countryside, Grace suffers from a postpartum depression that makes her feel like like a dreary wraith.

From Los Angeles Times

He arrived to find a wraith in her 80s, down to 75 pounds, suffering from multiple cancers that had disfigured her face.

From Los Angeles Times

The protagonists are a couple of paranormal investigators, Red and Antea, who are trying to clear the tormented wraiths out of a haunted settlement.

From Seattle Times

The original Beetlejuice, which starred Michael Keaton as an obnoxious wraith hired to help scare away a house's pretentious inhabitants, was released back in 1988.

From BBC

She saw her mother, shrouded in a dark covering of wraiths, bones and melting faces, and felt her overwhelming grief.

From Los Angeles Times