Word
ghostly
Phoneticsghost·ly, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɡoʊstɫi/
UK/ɡˈəʊstli/
Literary
Definition
adj. looking or sounding like a ghost. You use this to describe something pale, quiet, or scary in a way that reminds you of a spirit.
adj. resembling or characteristic of a ghost, particularly in being faint, pale, or ethereal. Often describes visual or auditory phenomena that lack physical substance.
Examples
“A ghostly figure appeared in the window of the old house.”
“The abandoned ship drifted through the ghostly fog, its wooden hull creaking in the silence.”
“The moonlight cast a ghostly glow over the ruins, illuminating the crumbling arches with a pale, silver light that felt both beautiful and unsettling.”
Examples
simple
“A ghostly figure appeared in the window of the old house.”
contextual
“The abandoned ship drifted through the ghostly fog, its wooden hull creaking in the silence.”
complex
“The moonlight cast a ghostly glow over the ruins, illuminating the crumbling arches with a pale, silver light that felt both beautiful and unsettling.”
Usage
Typically used attributively before a noun to describe appearance or atmosphere.
Real-World Examples
“Baselitz paints one of them waving, or is it saluting, in blood-soaked trousers with a ghostly shadow of a face.” “This will have dire consequences, from rapidly melting ice sheets to ghostly white coral reefs.” Etymology
From Middle English gostly, gastlich, from Old English gāstlīċ (“spiritual, holy, clerical (not lay), ghastly, ghostly, spectral”), from Proto-West Germanic *gaistalīk (“spiritual”), equivalent to ghost + -ly. Cognate with Scots ghaistly, gaistly (“spiritual, ghastly, terrifying”), West Frisian geastlik (“spiritual, clerical, religious”), Dutch geestelijk (“spiritual, clerical, ecclesiastical”), German geistlich (“spiritual, sacred, religious”), Danish geistlig (“ecclesiastical, clerical”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/ghostly