Spirit vs. Ghost — What's the Difference?

The non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotions and character; the soul

In folklore, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike forms.

The prevailing or typical quality, mood, or attitude of a person, group, or period of time

An apparition of a dead person which is believed to appear or become manifest to the living, typically as a nebulous image

Strong distilled alcoholic drink such as brandy, whisky, gin, or rum.

Act as ghostwriter of (a work)

A highly refined substance or fluid thought to govern vital phenomena.

Glide smoothly and effortlessly

Convey rapidly and secretly

End a personal relationship with (someone) by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication

A force or principle believed to animate living beings.

The spirit of a dead person, especially one that is believed to appear to the living in bodily form or to haunt specific locations.

A force or principle believed to animate humans and often to endure after departing from the body of a person at death; the soul.

A person's spirit or soul

Spirit The Holy Spirit.

A returning or haunting memory or image.

An angel or demon.

A slight or faint trace

A being inhabiting or embodying a particular place, object, or natural phenomenon.

The tiniest bit

A fairy or sprite.

An unwanted image on a television or radar screen caused by reflected waves.

The part of a human associated with the mind, will, and feelings

A displaced image in a photograph caused by the optical system of the camera.

The essential nature of a person or group.

An unwanted spectral line caused by imperfections in a diffraction grating.

A person as characterized by a stated quality

A displaced image in a mirror caused by reflection from the front of the glass.

An inclination or tendency of a specified kind

(Informal) A ghostwriter.

A pervasive or essential attitude, quality, or principle

A nonexistent publication listed in bibliographies.

An attitude marked by enthusiasm, energy, or courage

A fictitious employee or business.

Spirits A mood or emotional state

(Physiology) A red blood cell having no hemoglobin.

Strong loyalty or dedication

(Informal) To engage in ghostwriting.

The actual though unstated sense or significance of something

To move noiselessly like a ghost

Often spirits (used with a sing. verb) An alcohol solution of an essential or volatile substance.

(Informal) To cut off all communication with someone, especially a romantic or sexual partner, without providing an explanation

Spirits An alcoholic beverage, especially distilled liquor.

To haunt.

To carry off mysteriously or secretly

(Informal) To ghostwrite

To impart courage, animation, or determination to; inspirit.

(Informal) To cut off all communication with (someone), especially a romantic or sexual partner, without providing an explanation

The soul of a person or other creature.

The spirit; the human soul.

A supernatural being, often but not exclusively without physical form; ghost, fairy, angel.

The disembodied soul; the soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death.

Enthusiasm.

Any faint shadowy semblance; an unsubstantial image.

The manner or style of something.

A false image formed in a telescope, camera, or other optical device by reflection from the surfaces of one or more lenses.

A volatile liquid, such as alcohol. The plural form spirits is a generic term for distilled alcoholic beverages.

An unwanted image similar to and overlapping or adjacent to the main one on a television screen, caused by the transmitted image being received both directly and via reflection.

Energy; ardour.

A ghostwriter.

One who is vivacious or lively; one who evinces great activity or peculiar characteristics of mind or temper.

A nonexistent person invented to obtain some fraudulent benefit.

Temper or disposition of mind; mental condition or disposition; intellectual or moral state.

A dead person whose identity is stolen by another. See ghosting.

(obsolete) Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes, life itself.

(Internet) An unresponsive user on IRC, resulting from the user's client disconnecting without notifying the server.

(obsolete) A rough breathing; an aspirate, such as the letter h; also, a mark denoting aspiration.

(computing) An image of a file or hard disk.

Intent; real meaning; opposed to the letter, or formal statement.

(theatre) An understudy.

Any of the four substances: sulphur, sal ammoniac, quicksilver, and arsenic (or, according to some, orpiment).

(espionage) A covert (and deniable) agent.

(dyeing) Stannic chloride.

The faint image that remains after an attempt to remove graffiti.

To carry off, especially in haste, secrecy, or mystery.

(video games) An opponent in a racing game that follows a previously recorded route, allowing players to compete against previous best times.

Sometimes followed by up: to animate with vigour; to excite; to encourage; to inspirit.

Someone whose identity cannot be established because there are no records of him/her.

Air set in motion by breathing; breath; hence, sometimes, life itself.

(quantum physics) An unphysical state in a gauge theory.

A rough breathing; an aspirate, as the letter h; also, a mark to denote aspiration; a breathing.

A formerly nonexistent character that was at some point mistakenly encoded into a character set standard, which might have since become used opportunistically for some genuine purpose.

Life, or living substance, considered independently of corporeal existence; an intelligence conceived of apart from any physical organization or embodiment; vital essence, force, or energy, as distinct from matter.

(countable) ghost pepper

The intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of man; the soul, in distinction from the body in which it resides; the agent or subject of vital and spiritual functions, whether spiritual or material.

(uncountable) A game in which players take turns to add a letter to a possible word, trying not to complete a word.

Specifically, a disembodied soul; the human soul after it has left the body.

White or pale.

Any supernatural being, good or bad; an apparition; a specter; a ghost; also, sometimes, a sprite,; a fairy; an elf.

Transparent or translucent.

Energy, vivacity, ardor, enthusiasm, courage, etc.

(attributive) Abandoned.

One who is vivacious or lively; one who evinces great activity or peculiar characteristics of mind or temper; as, a ruling spirit; a schismatic spirit.

(attributive) Remnant; the remains of a(n).

Temper or disposition of mind; mental condition or disposition; intellectual or moral state; - often in the plural; as, to be cheerful, or in good spirits; to be downhearted, or in bad spirits.

(attributive) Perceived or listed but not real.

Intent; real meaning; - opposed to the letter, or to formal statement; also, characteristic quality, especially such as is derived from the individual genius or the personal character; as, the spirit of an enterprise, of a document, or the like.

(attributive) Of cryptid, supernatural or extraterrestrial nature.

Tenuous, volatile, airy, or vapory substance, possessed of active qualities.

(attributive) Substitute.

Any liquid produced by distillation; especially, alcohol, the spirits, or spirit, of wine (it having been first distilled from wine): - often in the plural.

To haunt; to appear to in the form of an apparition.

Rum, whisky, brandy, gin, and other distilled liquors having much alcohol, in distinction from wine and malt liquors.

(obsolete) To die; to expire.

A solution in alcohol of a volatile principle. Cf. Tincture.

(literary) To imbue with a ghost-like hue or effect.

Any one of the four substances, sulphur, sal ammoniac, quicksilver, or arsenic (or, according to some, orpiment).

(ambitransitive) To ghostwrite.

Stannic chloride. See under Stannic.

(nautical) To sail seemingly without wind.

To animate with vigor; to excite; to encourage; to inspirit; as, civil dissensions often spirit the ambition of private men; - sometimes followed by up.

(computing) To copy a file or hard drive image.

To convey rapidly and secretly, or mysteriously, as if by the agency of a spirit; to kidnap; - often with away, or off.

(GUI) To gray out (a visual item) to indicate that it is unavailable.

The vital principle or animating force within living things

To forcibly disconnect an IRC user who is using one's reserved nickname.

The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people;

(intransitive) To appear or move without warning, quickly and quietly; to slip.

A fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character

(transitive) To transfer (a prisoner) to another prison without the prior knowledge of other inmates.

Any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings

(slang) To kill.

The state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection);

To perform an act of ghosting: to break up with someone without warning or explanation; to ignore someone, especially on social media.

The intended meaning of a communication

(film) To provide the speaking or singing voice for another actor, who is lip-syncing.

Animation and energy in action or expression;

The spirit; the soul of man.

An inclination or tendency of a certain kind;

The disembodied soul; the soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death; an apparition; a specter.

Infuse with spirit;

Any faint shadowy semblance; an unsubstantial image; a phantom; a glimmering; as, not a ghost of a chance; the ghost of an idea.

A false image formed in a telescope by reflection from the surfaces of one or more lenses.

To die; to expire.

To appear to or haunt in the form of an apparition.

A mental representation of some haunting experience;

A writer who gives the credit of authorship to someone else

The visible disembodied soul of a dead person

A suggestion of some quality;

Move like a ghost;

Haunt like a ghost; pursue;

Write for someone else;