wraith
Americannoun
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an apparition of a living person supposed to portend their death.
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a visible spirit.
noun
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the apparition of a person living or thought to be alive, supposed to appear around the time of his death
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a ghost or any apparition
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an insubstantial copy of something
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something pale, thin, and lacking in substance, such as a column of smoke
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wraith
First recorded in 1505–15; originally Scots; origin uncertain
Explanation
If you have a vision of your grandfather just before he passes away, you have seen a wraith or a ghostly image. Wraith can also mean something thin, wispy, or ghost-like. You could call a wisp of smoke rising from a chimney a wraith or you could say that a sick aunt had been reduced to a wraith — a thin, ghostly, figure. Sometimes it's even a compliment, which shows how we idealize wraith-like fashion models. Wraith is of unknown origins, and there aren't any other words related to it.
Vocabulary lists containing wraith
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween
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Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
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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.
In the 1950s, a special version of a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith included an in-built television set and a toilet beneath the passenger seat, according to auction house Sotheby's.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
In an email, Wraith said Tobin graduated from a high school transition program while living there “and was provided quality care during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
From Seattle Times • May 4, 2023
The Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 models will also come bundled with an AMD Wraith Cooler and will be available starting April 4th, a few ahead of the Ryzen 5800X3D.
From The Verge • Mar. 15, 2022
Before long, the Baron, assisted by “Count Bunker,” must confront not only the spectral Wraith of the Tulliwuddles but also the double temptation of a romantic highland beauty and an alluring American heiress.
From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2021
Every crew member called greetings and well wishes, and Jesper could sense Inej perking up with every cheer of “The Wraith returns!”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
