haunting 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of hauntingnext
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic the haunting tones of the Highland bagpipes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

haunting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of haunt
as in visiting
to go to or spend time in often much of her time is spent haunting antique shops in search of unique knobs for the curio cabinets she builds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of haunting
Adjective
One of the movie’s most haunting subplots involves prisoners, who are pulled from labor camps looking half-dead and subsequently folded into Michael Caine‘s soccer team at the Brit’s insistence, but possibly to his squad’s detriment. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 June 2026 Her mainstream breakthrough — and legacy-making performance — arrived with a haunting performance as stalker superfan Annie Wilkes in the 1990 film adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026
Verb
In the dark underworld of New Orleans, the Winters family builds an empire around a powerful new drug—crafted from the ashes of the dead—that grants users vivid, haunting visions of the past. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 30 June 2026 Brandi Carlile and SistaStrings also pulled off a haunting Morissette tribute with Uninvited. — P. Claire Dodson, Vogue, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for haunting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for haunting
  1. eerie
  2. visiting
  3. creepy
  4. frequenting
  5. affecting
Adjective
  • Their courage quickly wavers in the face of the location’s eerie atmosphere and the deafening sound of cicadas.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
  • But here, its potential for ugly, alien tones is turned up to 11, an eerie buzz throbbing threateningly beneath the beats.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026
Definition of eerie
Verb
  • But in a 5-1 win at Truist Park, the visiting Cardinals made two errors.
    — Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 2 July 2026
  • While lucha libre is already a popular attraction among tourists visiting Mexico, the arrival of the world’s biggest soccer event has seen masks and impromptu fights spill out from the ring.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of visiting
Adjective
  • Or perhaps more accurately, like a gleeful romp with friends through a haunted-house attraction at a regional fair, with various creepy creatures leaping suddenly out of the darkness.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
  • The voice in the trailer is creepy and not in the way that Wonka is meant to be creepy.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 30 June 2026
Definition of creepy
Verb
  • After completing his four-year stretch, Clayton-Thomas in 1962 began frequenting the music scene on the Yonge Street strip, when Arkansas rockabilly great Ronnie Hawkins gave him his first paying job in music.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
  • Arthur Van Wyk, who produces comedy events in Durban, began frequenting the bar some three decades ago.
    — Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
Definition of frequenting
Verb
  • And women who suspect their period pain is more severe than normal should not hesitate to speak with a health care provider, especially if symptoms are affecting their quality of life.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • The heat is affecting how air pollution disperses over the region, National Weather Service meteorologist Carol Ciliberti said Sunday.
    — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of affecting

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Cite this Entry

“Haunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/haunting. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on haunting

Nglish: Translation of haunting for Spanish Speakers

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