specter

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noun spec·ter \ ˈspek-tər \

variants: or spectre

Definition of specter

1 :a visible disembodied spirit :ghost

2 :something that haunts or perturbs the mind :phantasm

the specter of hunger

See specter defined for English-language learners

See specter defined for kids

Examples of specter in a Sentence

feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter

Recent Examples of specter from the Web

For the past 14 years, the best catcher in baseball has been a looming presence, a shadowy specter.

— joan niesen, SI.com, "The Rock Of The Redbirds: Cardinals Catcher Yadier Molina Is Part Star, Part Sage," 25 Aug. 2017
Maduro’s opposition is also split over what the U.S. should do, now that Trump has raised the specter — painfully familiar to Latin Americans — of deploying the U.S. military.

— patricia mazzei, miamiherald, "In Miami, Pence will try to escape long shadow of Trump’s military talk on Venezuela," 22 Aug. 2017
Slender Man started with an online post in 2009, as a mysterious specter photo-shopped into everyday images of children at play.

— ivan moreno, The Seattle Times, "Teen pleads guilty to lesser charge in Slender Man attack," 21 Aug. 2017
The dark specter Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin.

— tetona dunlap, idahostatesman, "One Idahoan with Type 2 diabetes turns to exercise, another to chicken-fried steak," 19 Aug. 2017
And what of that dread specter women have been taught to fear—the VPL?

— leeann duggan, Glamour, "My Love Affair With Granny Panties, Now Finally In Fashion," 8 Aug. 2017
Navies around the globe have been spooked lately by the specter of unauthorized scuba divers lurking near military bases.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Fears of Frogmen: Why Navies Are Spooked by 'Ghost' Combat Divers," 3 Aug. 2017
The specter is only a girl, one even dirtier and poorer than they.

— Longreads, "And How Much of These Hills Is Gold," 3 Aug. 2017
Or, more threateningly, its proponents could insist on its inclusion in must-pass debt-limit or year-end appropriations bills, raising the specter of a debt default or a government shutdown.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Trumpcare’s ‘Orphans’ Must Search for New Homes," 19 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'specter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of specter

French spectre, from Latin spectrum appearance, specter, from specere to look, look at — more at spy

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First Known Use: 1605

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specter Synonyms

Synonyms

apparition, bogey (also bogie or bogy), familiar spirit, hant [dialect], haunt [chiefly dialect], materialization, phantasm (also fantasm), phantom, poltergeist, shade, shadow, ghost (or spectre), spirit, spook, sprite, vision, visitant, wraith

Related Words

angel, daimon, familiar, genie, genius, jinni (or jinn also djinni or djinn), shaitan; double, doppelgänger (or doppelganger), fetch; lemures, manes; incubus, lamia, succubus, vampire, zombie (also zombi); cacodemon, demon (or daemon), devil, fiend, ghoul, imp

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

SPECTER Defined for English Language Learners

specter

play

noun

Definition of specter for English Language Learners

: a ghost or spirit of a dead person

SPECTER Defined for Kids

specter

noun spec·ter

variants: or spectre \ˈspek-tər\

Definition of specter for Students

1 :ghost

2 :something that haunts or bothers the mind

the specter of starvation

Learn More about specter

See words that rhyme with specter Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for specter Spanish Central: Translation of specter Nglish: Translation of specter for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of specter for Arabic speakers

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SPECTER Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of specter for English Language Learners

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