ghostly

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈɡoʊstli/ See IPA manual

Freq #17352

Meanings

1

adj
Looking pale and faint, like a ghost; eerie.

A ghostly figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
2

adj
Frightening in a strange, supernatural way.

A ghostly silence filled the abandoned house.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · frightening in a strange,... eerie eldritch

More apparitional ghastlyghostishghostlikephantasmalphantasmicphantomic phantomlike spectral spooky wraithlikewraithy

Word family

Forms ghostliness

Derived forms ghostlilyghostlinessnonghostlyunghostly

Related forms demonic demonical fiendish ghastly

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

ghostly apparition
A figure or image that appears to be a ghost.

Adjective + noun

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”).

gostly Middle English gāstlīċ Old English *gaistalīk Proto-West Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# ghostly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡoʊstli/
**Frequency rank:** 17352

## Meanings
1. Looking pale and faint, like a ghost; eerie.
2. Frightening in a strange, supernatural way.

## Examples
- A ghostly figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
- A ghostly silence filled the abandoned house.

## Synonyms
- apparitional
- ghastly
- ghostish
- ghostlike
- phantasmal
- phantasmic
- phantomic
- phantomlike
- spectral
- spooky
- wraithlike
- wraithy

## Derived Forms
- ghostlily
- ghostliness
- nonghostly
- unghostly

## Related Forms
- demonic
- demonical
- fiendish
- ghastly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: gostly
- Root: gāstlīċ
- Root: *gaistalīk

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Ghostly is 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”). In present-day use, it can mean looking pale and faint, like a ghost; eerie, or frightening in a strange, supernatural way.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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