haunting call
Lingering mournful sound
A haunting call is a sound—typically from a bird, whale, or other animal—that lingers in the mind with an eerie, melancholic, or mysteriously beautiful quality.
The loon's cry across a still lake is the classic example: The haunting call of a wolf echoed through the canyon.
The phrase extends to any sound that evokes longing or unease: a distant train whistle, a foghorn, a mournful melody.
- eerieDisturbingly strange
- mournfulShowing or feeling grief
- ghostlyResembling a specter
- echoReflected sound wave
- loonDiving bird or oddball
common loon · bird song · cry · wail · lingering · melancholy · howl · whisper · owl · distant · fog · memory · sorrowful · plaintive · nocturnal · wolf · lone wolf · lone wolf
haunt, haunts, haunted, hauntingly, call, calls, called, calling, caller