specter

noun

spec·​ter ˈspek-tər 

variants or spectre

1

: a visible disembodied spirit : ghost

2

: something that haunts or perturbs the mind : phantasm

the specter of hunger

Synonyms of specter

• apparition
• ghost
• spirit
• phantom

Examples of specter in a Sentence

feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, the specter of rising memory prices clouded the results. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2026

The hard-line Keyhan newspaper raised the specter of Tehran attempting to close the strait by force. —Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026

Skeletal specters emerge as a consequence of tampering with such dark magic, and one launches itself at McAdams' Christine Palmer. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026

This raises the specter of the Fed nearing the terminal rate for this cycle before too long. —Michael Santoli, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing specter

• raised the specter of
• the specter of (something)

Rhymes for specter

• hector
• lector
• nectar
• rector
• sector
• spectre
• vector
• bisector
• collector
• connector
• corrector
• defector

Kids Definition

specter

noun

spec·​ter

variants or spectre

ˈspek-tər 

1

: ghost

2

: something that bothers the mind