haunt
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four words describe causing distress, but they differ in intensity, duration, and context. 'Haunt' specifically describes something from the past that returns repeatedly to occupy the mind, like a memory or regret — it carries a lingering, almost ghostly quality. 'Torment' is stronger and more active, suggesting deliberate infliction of mental or physical pain. 'Plague' emphasises constant annoyance or trouble over time, as in 'plagued by doubts', often with a sense of inevitability. 'Trouble' is the mildest and most general word, covering any kind of worry without the repeated or returning aspect. For example: The memory of his mistake haunted him for years (returns again and again). The guilt tormented her day and night (intense active pain). He was plagued by uncertainty before the test (constant irritation). The bad news troubled her briefly (temporary worry).
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'haunt' entered Middle English from Old French 'hanter', meaning 'to frequent' or 'to visit regularly'. Its original sense, still alive today, had nothing to do with ghosts — it simply meant going somewhere often. The supernatural meaning ('a ghost appearing repeatedly in a place') developed in English around the late 16th century, likely because the idea of something 'returning again and again' to a place naturally extended to stories of restless spirits. The two verb senses (mental distress and ghostly visitation) both share this core notion of repeated return.