wraith

[ reyth ]

See synonyms for: wraith wraithlike on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Origin of wraith

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

Other words from wraith

wraithlike, adjective

Words that may be confused with wraith

wraith , wreath, wreathe, writhe

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

How to use wraith in a sentence

He moved quickly in that direction, saw now a wraithlike figure in white.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942 | Various
From afar they spied the tall figure of Dependence Crymble passing wraithlike to and fro across the yard.
The Skipper and the Skipped | Holman Day
But it is a wraithlike thing, and undulates and falls before our eyes like flames that have neither redness nor heat.
Musical Portraits | Paul Rosenfeld
Another second passed; it was visibly growing tenuous, wraithlike!
The White Invaders | Raymond King Cummings
Pictures I had seen of famine victims passed wraithlike before me.
Autobiography of a YOGI | Paramhansa Yogananda

British Dictionary definitions for wraith

wraith

/ (reɪθ) /

noun

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

an insubstantial copy of something
something pale, thin, and lacking in substance, such as a column of smoke

Origin of wraith

C16: Scottish, of unknown origin

Derived forms of wraith

wraithlike, adjective

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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