spectral

adjective

spec·​tral ˈspek-trəl 

1

: of, relating to, or suggesting a specter : ghostly

We felt a spectral presence in the old ballroom.

No ghost stood beside me, nor anything of spectral aspect; merely a motherly, dumpy little woman, in a large shawl, a wrapping-gown, and a clean, trim nightcap.

—Charlotte Brontë

2

: of, relating to, or made by a spectrum

especially : relating to or derived from the electromagnetic spectrum of visible light

Surfaces can differ in the proportion of incident light they reflect (dark ones reflect less than light ones) and in the spectral composition of the light they reflect.

—Principles Of Neural Science

Their examination supported the opinion that the stone was mined in India and cut in London. They also found that the spectral characteristics overlap those of known treated green diamonds.

—Lapidary Journal

spectrally

ˈspek-trə-lē 

adverb

Examples of spectral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers around the world will waste hours on the Internet hunting around for the best spectral measurements, says Evgeny Stambulchik, a physicist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 26 Mar. 2025

Unofficially, the headliner that night was Sematary, who at the time was 23, and whose role as leader of the young, spectral, and heavily referential rap collective had recently come into question. —Meaghan Garvey, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2025

McDowell says this is because the Airbus Pleiades satellite likely snapped the photo using different spectral bands. —Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025

Instead, Mu Cassiopeia A is a simple field star --- a yellow dwarf of the same spectral type as our own sun, but one that clocks in at an astonishing 12.7 billion years old. —Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spectral

• spectral line

Rhymes for spectral

• multispectral

Kids Definition

spectral

adjective

spec·​tral ˈspek-trəl 

1

: of, relating to, or suggesting a specter : ghostly

2

: of, relating to, or made by a spectrum

Medical Definition

spectral

adjective

spec·​tral ˈspek-trəl 

: of, relating to, or made by a spectrum

spectrally adverb