Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Haunting |
HauntingAdjective1. Continually recurring to the mind; "haunting memories"; "the cathedral organ and the distant voices have a haunting beauty"- Claudia Cassidy. 2. Having a deeply disquieting or disturbing effect; "from two handsome and talented young men to two haunting horrors of disintegration"-Charles Lee. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "haunting" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1350. (references) |
Synonym: HauntingSynonym: persistent (adj). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Haunting |
| English words defined with "haunting": elusive ♦ ghost ♦ persistent ♦ shade, specter, spectre, spook ♦ wraith. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | We cannot have a routine haunting like yours provide proof that there is existence beyond death (Beetlejuice; writing credit: Michael McDowell; Warren Skaaren) | |
Lyrics | They keep haunting me, are they warning me (Head Games; performing artist: Foreigner) Haunting mass appeal (Drive; performing artist: Incubus) When will this haunting stop (Pictures Of Matchstick Men; performing artist: The Status Quo) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Haunting (1963) Haunting Shadows (1920) The Haunting of Silas P. Gould (1915) Halloween... The Happy Haunting of America! (1997) Realms of the Haunting (1996) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
 |
| "Red window 1" by Marty Weis Commentary: "A rather haunting view outside my basement window." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Play | Caption |
 | Clock tower; midnight; wolf; witching hour; ominous; apocalyptic; augural; baleful; baneful; clouded; dangerous; dark; dire; direful; dismal; doomed; doomful; fateful; fearful; forbidding; gloomy; grim; haunting; hostile; ill-boding; ill-fated; impending. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Karl Marx | A specter is haunting Europe -- the specter of communism. |
Robert Browning | Inscribe all human effort with one word, artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete! |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | A spectre is haunting Europe -- the spectre of Communism. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Economic History | Australia | There has been inadequate interconnection arrangements between the States, particularly the failure of the interconnecting cable between New South Wales and South Australia, which is now haunting South Australia. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Haunting" is generally used as a lexical verb (-ing form) -- approximately 58.78% of the time. "Haunting" is used about 148 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Lexical Verb (-ing form) | 58.78% | 87 | 35,390 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 32.43% | 48 | 49,194 |
| Noun (singular) | 6.08% | 9 | 117,287 |
| Noun (proper) | 2.7% | 4 | 175,879 |
| Total | 100.00% | 148 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "haunting": haunting-place. | |
Ending with "haunting": temple-haunting. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "haunting"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | i pashqitur, i bezdisshëm (annoying, bothersome, fussy, grating, intrusive, irksome, painful, pesky, troublous, trying, vexatious). (various references) | |
Arabic | متردد (ambivalent, chary, double-minded, doubtful, dubious, faint-hearted, faltering, flickering, hesitant, hesitating, indecisive, infirm, irresolute, remittent, stammerer, tentative, timid, uncertain, undecided, unsettled, vacillating, wavering), مسكون بالارواح. (various references) | |
Chinese | 困扰 (Beset, Besetting, haunted, Plagued, Plaguing). (various references) | |
Czech | vtíravý (catchy, ingratiating, obsessive, obtrusive), strašidelný (creepy, frightening, ghostly, haunted, macabre, scary, spectral, spooky, unearthly), neodbytný (catchy, insistent, intrusive, persistent, pertinacious, pursuant). (various references) | |
French | hanté (haunted), lancinant, fréquenté. (various references) | |
German | verfolgend (dogging, persecuting, pursuing, trailing). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מנקר במוח. (various references) | |
Hungarian | kísérő (accompanying, concomitant, escort, follower, gillie), gyakran visszatérő. (various references) | |
Italian | ossessivo (obsessive, troublesome), ossessionante (obsessive, troublesome), che perseguita. (various references) | |
Korean | 붙어 따라다님. (various references) | |
Manx | taaghey (attend, frequent, frequentation, hang out, haunt, resort), lhiantynagh (adherent, clinging, cohesive, obsessive), do-yarrood (unforgettable). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | auntinghay.(various references) | |
Russian | западающий в память, преследующий. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | koji ne izbija iz glave. (various references) | |
Spanish | obsesionante (besetting, obsessive). (various references) | |
Swedish | gripande (capture, enthraling, enthralling, grasping, gripping, moving, pathetic, seizure, touching), efterhängsen (importunate, persistent). (various references) | |
Thai | ยังคงอยู่ในความทรงจำ. (various references) | |
Turkish | unutulmaz (evergreen, imperishable, memorable, namable, never-to-be-forgotten, notable, unforgetable), rahatsız edici (annoying, besetting, disturbing, fraught, hot, inconvenient, irritant, irritating, noisy, pesky, plaguesome, rough, strident, uncomfortable, uneasy, unrestful, worrying), kafaya takılan, can sıkan. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | невідчепний (obsessive, officious), нав'язливий (obsessive, obtrusive). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "haunting": hauntingly. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "haunting": chaunting. (additional references) | |
| |
"Haunting" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: hainin, haultain, hauntings, huanjing, huntingh, Hyakunin, saunting. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "haunting" (pronounced hô"nting) |
| 5 | -ô" n t i ng | daunting, flaunting, taunting. |
| 4 | -n t i ng | appointing, accenting, accounting, amounting, augmenting, blunting, bunting, cementing, chanting, circumventing, commenting, complementing, complimenting, confronting, consenting, counting, decanting, denting, disappointing, discounting, disorienting, dissenting, documenting, enchanting, experimenting, fainting, fermenting, fingerprinting, fomenting, fragmenting, fronting, glinting, granting, grunting, hinting, hunting, implanting, implementing, imprinting, inventing, lamenting, minting, misrepresenting, mounting, painting, panting, parenting, patenting, pinpointing, planting, pointing, presenting, preventing, printing, ranting, recanting, recounting, reinventing, relenting, renting, repainting, replanting, representing, reprinting, resenting, shunting, slanting, sprinting, squinting, supplanting, supplementing, surmounting, tainting, tenting, tormenting, transplanting, unrelenting, unstinting, venting, wanting. |
| 3 | -t i ng | annotating, anticipating, appreciating, appropriating, approximating, arbitrating, abrogating, abutting, accelerating, accentuating, accepting, accommodating, abating, abbreviating, abdicating, abducting, abetting, aborting, accosting, accrediting, accumulating, acquitting, acting, activating, adapting, addicting, adjudicating, adjusting, administrating, admitting, adopting, advocating, affecting, affiliating, afflicting, aggravating, agitating, airlifting, alerting, alienating, alleviating, allocating, allotting, alternating, arresting, articulating, assassinating, assaulting, asserting, assimilating, assisting, associating, attempting, attesting, attracting, attributing, auditing, authenticating, automating, averting, awaiting, babysitting, backbiting, baiting, balloting, bankrupting, batting, beating, befitting, begetting, belting, benefiting, benefitting, berating, besetting, besting, betting, biting, bitting, blacklisting, blanketing, blasting, bloating, bloodletting, boasting, boating, bolting, boosting, booting, boycotting, breasting, broadcasting, budgeting, bullfighting, bursting, busting, butting, calculating, captivating, carpeting, carting, castigating, casting, castrating, catapulting, cavorting, celebrating, charting, chatting, cheating, chlorinating, circulating, citing, clotting, coagulating, coasting, coating, coexisting, cohabiting, collaborating, collecting, combating, combatting, comforting, commemorating, committing, communicating, commuting, compensating, competing, completing, complicating, composting, computing, concentrating, concocting, conducting, confiscating, conflicting, congratulating, connecting, consisting, consolidating, consorting, constituting, constricting, constructing, consulting, consummating, contacting, contaminating, contemplating, contesting, contracting, contradicting, contrasting, contributing, converting, convicting, cooperating, coordinating, copycatting, correcting, correlating, corroborating, corrupting, costing, counteracting, Counterfeiting, courting, crafting, crating, creating, crediting, cresting, culminating, cultivating, cutting, darting, dating, debating, debilitating, decaffeinating, decelerating, decimating, decorating, dedicating, deducting, defaulting, defeating, defecting, deflating, deflecting, defrosting, degenerating, delegating, deleting, deliberating, delighting, delineating, delisting, demonstrating, denigrating, departing, depicting, depleting, deporting, depositing, deprecating, depreciating, deregulating, deserting, designating, destructing, detecting, deteriorating, detonating, detracting, devastating, devoting, dictating, dieting, differentiating, digesting, diluting, directing, disconcerting, disconnecting, discrediting, discriminating, disgusting, disintegrating, dispiriting, disputing, disquieting, disrespecting, disrupting, dissecting, disseminating, dissipating, distorting, distracting, distributing, districting, diverting, divesting, domesticating, dominating, donating, doting, dotting, doubting, drafting, drifting, duplicating, dusting, eating, editing, educating, effecting, elaborating, elating, electing, electroplating, elevating, eliciting, eliminating, emanating, emigrating, emitting, emulating, enacting, encapsulating, encrusting, enlisting, entrusting, enunciating, equating, equivocating, eradicating, erecting, erupting, escalating, escorting, estimating, evacuating, evaluating, evaporating, everlasting, evicting, exacerbating, exacting, exaggerating, exalting, exasperating, excavating, excepting, exciting, excoriating, excruciating, executing, exempting, exerting, exhausting, exhibiting, exhilarating, exhorting, existing, exiting, exonerating, expecting, expediting, exploiting, exporting, extenuating, exterminating, extorting, extracting, extraditing, extrapolating, fabricating, facilitating, fascinating, fasting, faulting, feasting, ferreting, Fetting, fidgeting, fighting, firefighting, fitting, fleeting, flirting, flitting, floating, flouting, fluctuating, footing, footnoting, forecasting, forfeiting, forgetting, formulating, fretting, frosting, fruiting, frustrating, generating, getting, gifting, gloating, graduating, grafting, grating, gravitating, greeting, gritting, grouting, gunfighting, gusting, gutting, gyrating, hallucinating, halting, handwriting, harvesting, Hasting, hating, heating, hesitating, highlighting, hitting, hoisting, homeporting, hosting, humiliating, hurting, hydrogenating, igniting, illuminating, illustrating, imitating, impacting, imparting, impersonating, implicating, importing, inaugurating, incapacitating, incarcerating, incinerating, inciting, incorporating, incriminating, incubating, indicating, indicting, infatuating, infecting, infighting, infiltrating, inflating, inflicting, infuriating, ingesting, ingratiating, inhabiting, inheriting, inhibiting, initiating, injecting, innovating, inserting, insinuating, insisting, inspecting, instigating, instituting, instructing, insulating, insulting, integrating, interacting, intercepting, interdicting, interesting, interpreting, interrogating, interrupting, intersecting, intimidating, intoxicating, inundating, invalidating, investigating, investing, invigorating, inviting, irritating, isolating, jetting, jolting, jousting, jutting, kiting, knitting, lactating, lambasting, laminating, lasting, legislating, letting, levitating, liberating, lifting, lighting, limiting, liquidating, listing, litigating, locating, looting, lubricating, lusting, malting, mandating, manifesting, manipulating, marketing, marting, masturbating, mating, matting, mediating, meditating, meeting, melting, migrating, misappropriating, misinterpreting, misstating, mistreating, mitigating, moderating, molesting, molting, moonlighting, motivating, mutating, mutilating, muting, nauseating, navigating, necessitating, negating, neglecting, negotiating, nesting, netting, nitrating, nominating, nonbiting, nonoperating, nonsporting, nonvoting, noting, Nutting, objecting, obliterating, obstructing, obviating, officiating, offsetting, omitting, operating, opting, orbiting, orchestrating, originating, oscillating, ousting, Outfitting, outing, outwitting, overeating, overestimating, overheating, overreacting, overshooting, overstating, parachuting, participating, parting, pasting, patting, penetrating, percolating, perfecting, permeating, permitting, perpetrating, perpetuating, persecuting, persisting, perverting, petting, picketing, piloting, pirating, pitting, placating, plating, plotting, plummeting, pocketing, polluting, pontificating, populating, porting, posting, pouting, precipitating, predicting, predominating, preempting, preexisting, procrastinating, profiting, prognosticating, prohibiting, projecting, proliferating, promoting, prompting, promulgating, propagating, prosecuting, prospecting, protecting, protesting, pulsating, purporting, putting, quieting, quilting, quitting, quoting, radiating, rafting, ratcheting, rating, reacting, reactivating, readjusting, reallocating, reasserting, rebutting, recalculating, recasting, reciprocating, reciting, recollecting, reconnecting, reconstituting, reconstructing, recreating, recruiting, recuperating, redacting, redecorating, redirecting, redistributing, redistricting, reelecting, reevaluating, refitting, reflecting, refuting, regenerating, regretting, regulating, rehabilitating, reigniting, reincorporating, reinstating, reinstituting, reinterpreting, reinvesting, reinvigorating, reiterating, rejecting, rejuvenating, relating, relegating, relocating, remarketing, renegotiating, renovating, repatriating, repeating, replicating, reporting, repudiating, requesting, rerouting, resisting, resonating, resorting, respecting, restarting, restating, resting, restricting, resubmitting, resulting, resurrecting, resuscitating, retaliating, retesting, retracting, retreating, retrofitting, reuniting, reverberating, reverting, revisiting, revolting, rewriting, rioting, riveting, roasting, rocketing, rooting, rotating, rotting, rusting, salivating, salting, saluting, saturating, scapegoating, scouting, sculpting, seating, sedating, segregating, selecting, separating, setting, shafting, sheeting, shifting, shooting, shoplifting, shorting, shouting, shutting, sifting, sighting, simulating, siting, sitting, skating, skirting, skyrocketing, skywriting, slighting, slitting, slotting, smarting, smelting, snorting, soliciting, somersaulting, songwriting, sorting, speculating, spitting, splitting, sporting, spotlighting, spotting, spouting, sprouting, spurting, squatting, squirting, stagnating, starting, stating, stimulating, stipulating, strutting, subcontracting, subjecting, submitting, subordinating, substituting, subtracting, subverting, suffocating, suggesting, superconducting, supporting, suspecting, sweating, Sweeting, syndicating, tabulating, targeting, tasting, telecommuting, telemarketing, tempting, terminating, testing, thermosetting, thrusting, thwarting, ticketing, tilting, titillating, toasting, tolerating, toting, touting, translating, transmitting, transporting, treating, trotting, trumpeting, trusting, twisting, typecasting, typesetting, Typewriting, undercutting, underestimating, underreporting, understating, underwriting, undulating, unexciting, uninteresting, uninviting, uniting, unremitting, unseating, unsuspecting, unwitting, updating, uplifting, uprooting, upsetting, urinating, vacating, vacillating, validating, vaulting, ventilating, vesting, vetting, vibrating, violating, visiting, vomiting, voting, wafting, waiting, wasting, weighting, weightlifting, wetting, whiting, wildcatting, wilting, witting, wresting, writing, yachting. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-g-h-i-n-n-t-u" | |
-1 letter: antigun, hanting, hunting. | |
-2 letters: anting, guanin, hating, naught, tuning, unhang. | |
-3 letters: aught, gaunt, ghaut, giant, haunt, night, ninth, thing, unhat. | |
-4 letters: agin, anti, aunt, gain, gait, gaun, ghat, gnat, guan, hang, hant, haut, hint, hung, hunt, nigh, tain, tang, than, thin, thug, ting, tuna, tung, unai, unit. | |
-5 letters: ain, ait, ani, ant, gan, gat, ghi. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-g-h-i-n-n-t-u" | |
+1 letter: chaunting, unhatting. | |
+2 letters: hauntingly, staunching, sunbathing, unearthing, unlatching, unswathing, unteaching. | |
+3 letters: antihunting, euthanizing, headhunting, naughtiness, outthanking, unsheathing, unthreading, unwreathing. | |
+4 letters: antihuntings, guanethidine, heartburning, languishment, unhesitating. | |
+5 letters: euthanatizing, guanethidines, hallucinating, heartburnings, hemagglutinin, housetraining, languishments, naughtinesses, unthreatening. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Digital Art 7. Sounds 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Historic 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Usage Frequency 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Derivations 16. Rhymes | 17. Anagrams 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
