Definition

Noun 1. A ghost or spectral apparition, especially one seen shortly before or after a person's death: A wraith is traditionally understood as a visible spirit or ghost, often perceived as an omen or as the soul of a person appearing at the moment of death. 2. A faint, shadowy, or insubstantial likeness of a living being; a specter: It can refer to any vague, shadowy, or ghostly form, suggesting something elusive or barely perceptible.

Usage and Examples

• The old legend spoke of a wraith that would appear on the misty moor, signaling doom for anyone who saw it.
• In her grief, she thought she saw the wraith of her lost husband standing at the foot of the bed.
• The fog rolled in, turning the distant trees into dark wraiths against the gray sky.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Literary and Figurative Use: "Wraith" is most common in literary, poetic, or horror contexts. Figuratively, it can describe a person who is pale, thin, and lacking in substance or energy.
  • After his illness, he was a mere wraith of his former self.
• Cultural Connotation: Unlike the more general term "ghost," "wraith" often carries connotations of being an omen, a death-portent, or a specifically mournful or malevolent spirit.

Variants and Related Words

• Wraithlike (adjective): Resembling or characteristic of a wraith; ghostly, insubstantial.
  • She moved with a wraithlike grace through the empty halls.

Synonyms

• Ghost: The most general term for the spirit of a dead person.
• Specter/Spectre: A visible ghost or phantom, often inspiring fear.
• Phantom: A ghost or apparition; something elusive or unreal.
• Apparition: A supernatural appearance of a person or thing, especially a ghost.
• Shade (literary): A ghost or spirit of the dead.

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• (As) pale/thin as a wraith: An idiom describing someone who is extremely pale or gaunt.
  • When she emerged from her room, she was as pale as a wraith.

Noun

1. a mental representation of some haunting experience
   • he looked like he had seen a ghost
   • it aroused specters from his past