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 of specter

• apparition
• ghost
• spirit
• phantom

Examples of specter in a Sentence

feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter

Recent Examples on the Web

The specter of October 7, 2023, hovers over the movie, as does the aftermath that’s left thousands more dead. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2026

Tyre, the country’s fifth-largest city and a normally bustling beach town with postcard-perfect views of the Mediterranean, has become a sanctuary of last resort even as the specter of a long-term Israeli occupation looms over south Lebanon. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026

In addition to extending the shutdown, the negotiations standoff raises the specter of cutting into the recess that was supposed to begin at the end of this week. —Justin Papp, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026

Unbridled optimism might as well be the way to go now, what with the specter of a lockout next year hanging over the game like Death himself. —Kevin Sherrington mar. 25, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026

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