How to Use ghostly in a Sentence

ghostly

adjective
Definition of ghostlynext
Synonyms for ghostlynext
  • A ghostly figure appears in the house at night.
  • Two ghostly white ovals pop up and float on the screen.
    — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, 6 July 2017
  • The keys changed colour as though hit by a ghostly hand….
    — John Banville, The New York Review of Books, 23 Sep. 2021
  • There were the ghostly outlines of the dancers’ bodies framed in a pool of blue.
    — Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2022
  • The hounds of the unearthly Wild Hunt may be the best known of these ghostly dogs.
    — Kim Campbell Thornton, sacbee, 27 Oct. 2017
  • Do all the ghouls and goblins come to your house for ghostly treats?
    — Shirley MacFarland, cleveland, 8 Oct. 2021
  • Less life on the streets, and more ghostly storefronts.
    — Diti Kohli, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Feb. 2023
  • 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
  • The images at night were of the ghostly night-vision kind.
    — William Langewiesche, The Atlantic, 21 June 2018
  • From afar, the clothes hang in a mass like a ghostly chandelier adorning the nave of the church.
    — Adelia Suliman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Dec. 2017
  • White Rock Lake even has its own ghostly legend: the Lady of the Lake.
    — Dallasnews.com Staff, Dallas News, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Since then, many stories have gone around about the ghostly hauntings on the ship.
    — Robin Raven, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2021
  • Oh, and the ghostly version of Benji who shows up on her doorstep.
    — Mary Cadden, USA TODAY, 7 June 2022
  • But the ghostly remnants still remain on a path through the forests and ravines of Woodbury.
    — Peter Marteka, courant.com, 29 Nov. 2019
  • Dress as dark as the night, but don’t be scared of inviting a ghostly contrast.
    — Monique Brown, refinery29.com, 22 Mar. 2023
  • The play itself perhaps wants to eat its ghostly cake and eat it too.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Nov. 2022
  • In one track, an insect caught in the Play-Doh turned into a bell, tolling the same three ghostly notes.
    — New York Times, 6 May 2021
  • There are no leaves on the bottom, no dirt, no mold, no ghostly stains where rain has been.
    — Clare Sestanovich, Harper's Magazine, 23 June 2020
  • Of course, there's nothing bad or evil about any of these names—this list is all in good fun for the ghostly and witchy among us!
    — Taylor Grothe, Parents, 9 Oct. 2024
  • What is permanent is the ghostly presence of the many stars who have graced its stage.
    — Patti Nickell, charlotteobserver, 26 June 2017
  • Hidden at the top left of the painting are the ghostly lines of a ship’s masts seemingly floating in the air.
    — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 2 Dec. 2019
  • These days, Diplo’s hair is bleached a ghostly shade of white and long enough to pull back into a bun.
    — Jonathan Ringen, Billboard, 22 June 2017
  • To get that ghostly look, take white face paint and a foundation brush, and put it all over your face.
    — Blake Bakkila, Good Housekeeping, 18 June 2019
  • Others claim to have seen the ghostly figure of a woman.
    — Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press, 8 Oct. 2022
  • Of the Castle Bunratty and the roaring O’Briens and the ghostly cries of those dragged by wild horses.
    — Stanton Delaplane, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Mar. 2018
  • At first, the ghostly sightings are benign, but then the spirit asks to move into the doll.
    — Eliza Thompson, Cosmopolitan, 20 June 2017
  • In the Parker Probe's ghostly image, a dark spot is pictured in the middle of Venus.
    — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2021
  • With a ghostly robe and glowing lantern, this 7-foot-tall phantom will inspire fear in the bravest of souls.
    — Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 15 Sep. 2022
  • Not just in flashbacks, not just as a ghostly apparition.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 30 June 2024
  • Many of the ghostly tales stem from claims of tragic deaths like drownings, hangings, murders and freak accidents.
    — Alayna Alvarez, Axios, 27 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ghostly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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