Thesaurus results for SPECTER

specter

noun

ˈspek-tər

variants or spectre

Definition of specter

as in apparition

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 Newsom said Mansfield, because of budget shortfalls, was facing the specter of staff reductions and school closures. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026 Organizations shouldn’t treat the specter of breach monetization as separate from the threat model. — Steve Durbin, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 This conclusion drives home that Chris will never be able to fully vanquish evil; he’ll be stuck in a loop, eternally pursuing this specter. — Samantha Bergeson, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026 Still, the specter of AI agents operating freely on the internet raises alarming possibilities, regardless of their objectives. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for specter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter

Noun

The location was a former sugarcane plantation notorious for cruelty, and accounts of apparitions in the water are a reminder of this history.

— Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
After the vocal chorus, Astaire sees an apparition—Pan, costumed in Halloween drag.

— David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of apparition

Noun

Spirit Airlines' ghost planes The problems with young retirements predate Spirit's collapse.

— Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
In 2026, the gemlike Brooklyn venue lent Kushner’s project a magical quality, turning the audience into ghosts from the future, eavesdropping on the fall of the Weimar Republic but unable to intervene.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of ghost

Noun

In the spirit of B-movie icons like Roger Corman, the film was shot in four days for $40,000 in order to celebrate Chris LaMartina’s 40th birthday.

— William Earl, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
In that spirit, three articles offering guidance across the course of a woman’s life were published Monday in Circulation.

— Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of spirit

Noun

As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.

— Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Fadal brought up her own phantom smells during a recent podcast conversation with Andrea Donsky, a nutritionist who’s written about and conducted research on this symptom.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of phantom

Browse Nearby Words

spectators

specter

specters

See all Nearby Words

Articles Related to specter

Cite this Entry

Style

“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of specter

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

007 Words from the World of James Bond

'Speculate': Looking for a Profit

The History Behind 8 Halloween Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes