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
Example 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
And recent funding cuts threaten to worsen the spread of drug-resistant TB, raising the specter of a world where the disease regains its early 20th-century deadliness.
—
Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2025
Today, less than 100 years after Lincoln’s death, Stalin brags that this Communist specter is not only haunting the world, but is about to completely subjugate it.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2025
Just one House Democrat voted against the measure, casting the specter of a shutdown as their best leverage to force constraints on DOGE's ability to freeze federal spending and fire workers.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
The tariff − the highest U.S. tariff on any country − is raising the specter of steep price hikes on goods imported from China.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2025
Today, less than 100 years after Lincoln’s death, Stalin brags that this Communist specter is not only haunting the world, but is about to completely subjugate it.
—Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 24 Mar. 2025
Just one House Democrat voted against the measure, casting the specter of a shutdown as their best leverage to force constraints on DOGE's ability to freeze federal spending and fire workers.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
The tariff − the highest U.S. tariff on any country − is raising the specter of steep price hikes on goods imported from China.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
-
Options include the spooky Charlotte Ghosted Tour — which spends an hour taking you to famous haunts around the city including Settler’s Cemetery and the Bootlegger House.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The seminal haunt celebrates its silver anniversary throughout the weekend of April 11-13 with a Cooperstown-like lineup of Loose Engines, Island of Black and White, Hayez, Mercy Me, Mind X, Elvis Cantu, Peter Petty, Stacie Eakes, Red’s Blues, Element Brass Band, Jimmy Pailer & Lew Fratis and more.—
Aaron Davis,
Sacbee.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Elytra Dark will serve as a transfer vehicle to bring the Blue ghost lander to the moon.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Apr. 2025
-
But for all the ghost runners, bigger bases, pitch clocks, instant replays and (maybe) robot umps that spark debate, there’s one new rule that seems to be working really well.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
From data leakage to shadow engineering, no-code, robotic process automation (RPA) and AI apps create an expanding attack surface that is beyond the reach of standard security controls.—
Yair Finzi,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Lisa Stardust reveals how this post-Mercury and Venus shadow period will affect each zodiac sign Comments Mercury and Venus retrograde are finally coming to an end!—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The before-and-after pictures still astound: a skeletal wraith on the left, a rosy-cheeked child on the right.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
27 May 2015
-
Agatha is also being pursued by her ex, Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), a powerful green witch, as well as the Salem Seven, vengeful wraiths of Agatha's first coven.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
24 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
To combat such phantoms, Georgian Dream has passed new legislation that criminalizes assembly and protest.—
Anastasiya Zavyalova,
The Conversation,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Kevin Willard’s team had to confront the phantom that had haunted it through a quartet of Big Ten heartbreakers.—
Childs Walker,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Subsequently, a spy for the U.S. inside Vladimir Putin’s regime was extracted on fears Trump and his team were being sloppy with the nation’s secrets and could put the spook at risk.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
26 Mar. 2025
-
George gets a tip from a fellow agency spook that there’s a rat in the house.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Todd, the neighbor, even the strange apparitions are obfuscated simply because of their height, which adds to the eerieness of Indy’s experience but also makes Indy’s recognition of Todd’s voice all the more emotional.—
Rafael Motamayor,
IndieWire,
10 Mar. 2025
-
In the writer-director’s latest horror flick, The Monkey, there is no malignant apparition, and death doesn’t lurk or stalk.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share