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

Now, after Oklahoma came back from a six-run deficit, the specter of 20 years with no super regionals will loom them for the deciding game on Monday afternoon. —Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 1 June 2026

This radical attempt to dilute and deny family attachments is the specter haunting The Hill, a remarkable debut novel by Harriet Clark. —Julius Taranto, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026

How do specters enter the room? —Literary Hub, 29 May 2026

Resident Matt Long raised the specter of health impacts. —Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 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