ghostly
adjective
ghost·ly ˈgōst-lē 
ghostlier; ghostliest
1
: of or relating to the soul : spiritual
2
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a ghost : spectral
ghostliness noun
ghostly adverb
Example Sentences
A ghostly figure appears in the house at night.
Recent Examples on the Web Paint gourds white and add ghostly expressions with black paint. 
Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2022 Even stories about ghostly hauntings, sinister parallel universes or grisly murders could feel mournful, sensitive and cathartic in Straub's hands. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022 It’s a ghostly, sprawling series of structures, sculptures and scenes. Howard Fishman, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022 With its wiggly keyboards, minor keys, and weird, downbeat, edge, Newton-John's ghostly, dramatic, slightly sinister vocals enhance the effect perfectly. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 11 Aug. 2022 The siblings are hired to take on a haunted country mansion, where—expectedly—things take a ghostly turn for the worst. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 11 Aug. 2022 Yet the tale of a baseball lover who conjures a team of ghostly players from his cornfield taps directly into the sport’s lifeblood of nostalgia. John Jurgensen, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2022 Now the Cheneys and their allies operate as a ghostly presence—largely unable to materially affect political events, yet not quite gone, either. Benjamin Wallace-wells, The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2022 Were the green fields, the ghostly cows, the misty air in the falling light enough to make life worth living? J.r. Patterson, Washington Post, 29 July 2022 See More
Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2022 Even stories about ghostly hauntings, sinister parallel universes or grisly murders could feel mournful, sensitive and cathartic in Straub's hands. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 7 Sep. 2022 It’s a ghostly, sprawling series of structures, sculptures and scenes. Howard Fishman, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2022 With its wiggly keyboards, minor keys, and weird, downbeat, edge, Newton-John's ghostly, dramatic, slightly sinister vocals enhance the effect perfectly. Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 11 Aug. 2022 The siblings are hired to take on a haunted country mansion, where—expectedly—things take a ghostly turn for the worst. Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 11 Aug. 2022 Yet the tale of a baseball lover who conjures a team of ghostly players from his cornfield taps directly into the sport’s lifeblood of nostalgia. John Jurgensen, WSJ, 10 Aug. 2022 Now the Cheneys and their allies operate as a ghostly presence—largely unable to materially affect political events, yet not quite gone, either. Benjamin Wallace-wells, The New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2022 Were the green fields, the ghostly cows, the misty air in the falling light enough to make life worth living? J.r. Patterson, Washington Post, 29 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
ghostly
adjective
ghost·ly ˈgōst-lē
ghostlier; ghostliest
: of, relating to, or like a ghost
… there were ghostly eyes intently fixed upon him … Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carolghostly
adjective
as in spectral
of or relating to a ghost A ghostly figure appears in the house at night. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- spectral
- phantom
- ghostlike
- dead
- deadly
- murderous
- mortal
- mortuary
- fell
- deathly
- lifeless
- still
- cadaverous
- macabre
- inert
- quiescent
- inactive
- killer
- lethal
- fatal
- inoperative
- fateful
- baleful
- pestilent
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- active
- breathing
- animate
- live
- alive
- animated
- living
- vivacious
- sound
- vital
- whole
- well
- robust
- wholesome
- hearty
- healthy
- hale
- chipper
- fit
- able-bodied