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wraithlike

wraithlike

1 9.9
Having a thin, ghostlike appearance
  • adjective
  • /ˈreɪθˌlaɪk/
translation icon : espectral
  • As the fog rolled in, wraithlike shapes emerged from the mist, ghostly and ethereal.
  • wraithlike figure

Examples

  • Shadows and reflection are united, too, in their coldness, their wraithlike nature, prophetic of the afterlife.

    Academic text (1995)
  • In her mind's eye, she pictured a wraithlike figure coming toward her, knife held high!

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The son of a wealthy barrel manufacturer who had seen her perform, he became obsessed with her beauty, which was wraithlike and delicate.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Breda, the wraithlike blonde, came from Crom.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Gretta was a bouncy, pretty young woman, so solid and pleased with herself that beside her, Martha felt wraithlike, transparent, and funereal.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • She banked around the symmetric limbs of a tall Birchian brancher and spotted wraithlike clouds of steam wafting through a mix of pagoda trees ahead.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • She moved wraithlike through the dimly lit room, her sheer dress giving her a ghostly appearance.

  • The old mansion had a wraithlike quality, with shadows stretching and fading in the flickering candlelight.

Synonyms

ghostly
vswraithlike
40 4.7

Having a pale, quiet look that feels scary

is more visibly thin and insubstantial than just an eerie atmosphere
shadowy
vswraithlike
22 5.3

Not a clear or certain idea and often hard to prove

is more specifically a thin supernatural likeness rather than just vague
spectral
vswraithlike
  • Literature
5 7.5

Looking like a ghost and causing fear

is focused on thin, shadowy look rather than broad otherworldly effect
ghostlike
vswraithlike
1 6.5

Having a pale, thin, and quiet appearance that feels spooky

is thinner and more shadowy rather than a recognisable eerie shape
phantasmal
vswraithlike
  • Literature
1 9.9

Looking like a ghost and seeming unreal

is a thin, shadowy appearance rather than merely dreamlike or imagined
deathlike
vswraithlike
1 8.6

Pale and motionless like someone who is dead

is about thin, insubstantial shape rather than the theme of ending
phantomlike
vswraithlike
7.8

Appears like a ghost, not solid or easy to see

is specifically thin and shadowy in visual form rather than only mysterious
shadowlike
vswraithlike
5.5

Appears dark and faint, like a shape with unclear edges

is more about thin, insubstantial appearance than darkness and dimness
wisplike
vswraithlike
7.9

Very thin and light, almost hard to see or hear

is more about a thin, shadowy presence rather than small fragility

Antonyms

35 5.0

Real and based on facts that can be shown

30 3.8

Full of energy and enthusiasm

How Ghostly

spectral
  • Literature
5 7.5
wraithlike
1 9.9
gaunt
9 7.3
ashen
5 5.1
pale
291 1.0

Surface Forms

wraithlike positive

Morphology

wraithlike = wraith (transparent) = wraith + like

Formed by the productive English suffix '-like' attached to 'wraith', meaning 'resembling a wraith'.

Etymology

The word wraithlike comes from an old Scottish word wraith, meaning 'ghost', plus the ending -like, meaning 'similar to'. So something wraithlike looks thin and shadowy, almost like a ghost.