adjective
-
of or resembling a ghost; spectral
a ghostly face appeared at the window
-
suggesting the presence of ghosts; eerie
-
archaic of or relating to the soul or spirit
Other Word Forms
- ghostliness noun
- unghostly adjective
Etymology
Origin of ghostly
before 900; Middle English; Old English gāstlīc. See ghost, -ly
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.
You tried watercolor to chase away those ghostly words.
From Literature
Was it just him, or did she seem to be growing less… ghostly?
From Literature
Mist floated in the hollows between the mounds, where the pale, ghostly skeletons of hemlock reared above his head, and the purple stalks of dying willowherb released their eerily drifting down.
From Literature
The movie ended with George, overwhelmed by despair, calling up Margery’s ghostly image until he fell over dead himself.
From Literature
I stand in the train yard, the ghostly, empty train yard, because it’s now or never; I don’t know that I’ll get the chance to face this again.
From Literature
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.
