I. ˈgōstlē, -li adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Middle English gostly, from Old English gāstlīc, from gāst spirit, ghost + -līc -ly — more at ghost , -ly
1. : of or relating to the soul : not carnal : spiritual
many disorders, ghostly and bodily, are transmitted to us by inheritance — John Tyndall
2. : of or relating to the church : not secular : religious
shall not be the worse for a ghostly adviser — George Meredith
snatching with ghostly hands at scepters — Nathaniel Hawthorne
3. : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a ghost : spectral , shadowy
a whole troupe of delightful but ghostly spirits from another world — Scott Goddard
startled to see the ghostly silhouette of a submarine gliding under the railway bridge — Stewart Beach
4. : of or relating to a ghost-writer
a book written without ghostly assistance
II. adverb
Etymology: Middle English gostly, from Old English gastlīce, from gāstlīc
: in a ghostly manner
two strips of snow shone ghostly — Clive Arden