as in haunting
of, relating to, or suggestive of a ghost
They spotted a spectral figure in the window of the old abandoned house.
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Recent Examples of spectral
Who’s to say there isn’t a spectral widow wandering the tracks by moonlight, searching for her husband’s head?
—
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
As Atom and Claudine traverse the countryside and meet various other characters (cast mostly from non-professional actors), the frame takes on a spectral presence.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Hazel’s magical threads can be fashioned into a temporary glider or a grappling hook to help with platforming, used to conjure spectral objects that seem somewhat stuck between worlds, and wielded in battle to push enemies away and pull them towards her.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2025
The tragic conclusion reveals the spectral figures of guilt and regret that have made a home in this house, as much a part of it as any of its ghosts.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
As Atom and Claudine traverse the countryside and meet various other characters (cast mostly from non-professional actors), the frame takes on a spectral presence.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Hazel’s magical threads can be fashioned into a temporary glider or a grappling hook to help with platforming, used to conjure spectral objects that seem somewhat stuck between worlds, and wielded in battle to push enemies away and pull them towards her.
—Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2025
The tragic conclusion reveals the spectral figures of guilt and regret that have made a home in this house, as much a part of it as any of its ghosts.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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But the song’s piano version, recorded earlier in 2018, is sparser and even more haunting.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
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Her fate remains one of literature’s most haunting unsolved mysteries, drawing the fascination of scholars, writers and literary enthusiasts.—
Patti Callahan Henry,
People.com,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The eerie suitors and tense courtships throughout her art are allegories for her own jinxed marriages.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
ARTnews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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The eerie minute of film features a brutal shoot-out between multiple characters, and the footage ends with the sounds of bullets being fired.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But although the talented voice cast gives the characters humor and distinctive personalities, their CGI renderings are, well, a bit creepy, and less photorealistic than many of the cute woodland creatures that flock around Snow White.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
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As the storm sets in, Ana’s boss decides their unit needs to inspect the creepy old building to determine if the residents are, in fact, safe.—
Scott Phillips,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That’s selling shares without borrowing them first, creating phantom shares that distort the market.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
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Ulrich reappeared after all this time as the phantom memory of Billy lurking in the mind of his daughter, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera).—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Ghosts was recently renewed for two additional seasons, which, in addition to being an incredible amount of job security at an uncertain time in the industry, also indicates there’s lots of runway to keep exploring the history of Woodstone Mansion through the eyes of its ghostly inhabitants.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2025
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An early evening walking tour with Sixth Sense gave us exposure to local ghostly tales ($36 for adults, $32 for kids 4 to 15), as did a not-at-all-spooky walk through Bonaventure Cemetery.—
Emily Goligoski,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Gargantuan, weird outcomes can start small in the tech world, and often innocently.—
Jaron Lanier,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
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The trendy beauty treatment is all the rage on TikTok, and it’s garnered tons of attention for being a weird way to reap anti-aging benefits.—
Kleigh Balugo,
StyleCaster,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The trailer soon shows just how those supernatural entities unfold, beginning with a sighting of two dogs in the forest that stand still in their tracks, as if frozen in time.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
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The film represents a bold examination of the overseas Filipino worker experience, using supernatural horror as a lens to explore the emotional toll of migration.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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