variants
or spectre
as in haunt
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of specter
As Ukraine’s military struggles with battlefield setbacks and dwindling morale, the specter of a peace deal promised by President-elect Donald Trump has added another layer of uncertainty.
—
Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2024
Some analysts think the president-elect is likely using the specter of tariffs as a way to wring concessions from other countries, noting that his administration will be eager to avoid setting off another round of inflation just as U.S. prices are growing at a normal level.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2024
What once looked like a leisurely stroll to a division title now has the specter of collapse around it.
—Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
So in the words of every rapper faced with the ubiquitous specter of haters: Stay mad.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for specter 
Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2024
Some analysts think the president-elect is likely using the specter of tariffs as a way to wring concessions from other countries, noting that his administration will be eager to avoid setting off another round of inflation just as U.S. prices are growing at a normal level.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 27 Nov. 2024
What once looked like a leisurely stroll to a division title now has the specter of collapse around it.
—Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024
So in the words of every rapper faced with the ubiquitous specter of haters: Stay mad.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
-
This two-house haunt is collecting non-perishable items for the Utah Food Bank, so bring a can in appreciation.Erin Alberty, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024
-
The Hill Has Eyes includes four haunts that span 45 acres.Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Easier said than done since many of the ghosts that haunt Light Shop are jump-out-of-your-seat scary.Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
-
The ultimate effect is paradoxical: the more that Valéry eliminates the ghost of pain and passion from the logical machinery of his work, the starker and more affecting the moans and cries of the ghost become.Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
When the moon moves into the inner part of Earth's shadow, or umbra, according to NASA, some of the sunlight entering Earth's skies scatters before reaching the moon's surface.Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 10 Dec. 2024
-
The young artist’s work stood out for its unique chiaroscuro, masterfully contrasting light and shadow to create dramatic, three-dimensional images.Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Many slide hopelessly back into lives as nearly invisible wraiths, measured in the intervals between fixes — and arrests.Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Dec. 2024
-
Discovery, two of the bigger owners of these cable-network wraiths, haven’t had much to show for keeping them up and running.Brian Steinberg, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
The Wizard of Oz Effect In the movie The Wizard of Oz, there’s a scene where the protagonist, Dorothy, and her band of misfits are seeking the great and powerful Oz, an amorphous wizard who appears as a phantom atop an explosion of smoke.Steve Tengler, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Ghosts has slowly been expanding its world over four seasons to introduce its stalwart spirits to a whole host of new phantoms.Katie Campione, Deadline, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
But that didn’t stop Joe Barton, creator of Black Doves, the Netflix Christmas spy thriller now streaming, from encumbering star Keira Knightley as dedicated wife and professional spook Helen Webb with Ben Whishaw‘s Sam Young, a fellow spy and assassin, in all matters of love and relationships.Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024
-
Outside of Phoenix, Western theme park Old Tucson is delivering spooks with its Nightfall at Old Tucson event that includes haunted mazes, roaming scares and magic shows.Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
To have a follower recount a feat of superhuman strength, or even an apparition, is hard for a layperson to fathom but has the advantage of having happened in the past and out of the view of nonbelievers.Michelle Weber, Longreads, 8 Nov. 2024
-
But there can be more to a scary movie than just screaming apparitions or a gradually diminishing number of coeds with a bad sense of self-preservation.Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near specter
Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share