specter

noun

spec·​ter ˈspek-tər 

variants or spectre

1

: a visible disembodied spirit : ghost

2

: something that haunts or perturbs the mind : phantasm

the specter of hunger

Synonyms

• apparition
• bogey
• bogie
• bogy
• familiar spirit
• ghost
• hant [dialect]
• haunt [chiefly dialect]
• materialization
• phantasm
• fantasm
• phantom
• poltergeist
• shade
• shadow
• spirit
• spook
• sprite
• vision
• visitant
• wraith

Examples of specter in a Sentence

feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter

Recent Examples on the Web

This has prompted advocates to suggest the specter of violence is being used as a pretext for violating civil rights. —David Noriega, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2025

Ontario Premier Doug Ford even threatened to slap a surcharge on or even pull the plug on electricity sent to three US states, raising the specter of power bill spikes or even blackouts. —Matt Egan, CNN, 13 Mar. 2025

The Fat Friar ghost from the 2001 film is Hufflepuff House’s resident specter. —Lauryn Overhultz, Fox News, 10 Mar. 2025

The love triangle is already complicated by the intrusive memories of Mark’s outie, who is pining after the specter of his dead wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), but the situation reaches unprecedented messiness after Helena Eagan tracks down Mark’s outie in a restaurant and flirts with him. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French spectre, from Latin spectrum appearance, specter, from specere to look, look at — more at spy

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing specter

• raised the specter of
• the specter of (something)

Rhymes for specter

• hector
• lector
• nectar
• rector
• sector
• spectre
• vector
• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector

Kids Definition

specter

noun

spec·​ter

variants or spectre

ˈspek-tər 

1

: ghost

2

: something that bothers the mind