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

• haunt [chiefly dialect]
• ghost
• shadow
• wraith
• phantom
• spook
• apparition

Examples of specter in a Sentence

feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter

Recent Examples on the Web

Thereafter, the Karem Abu Salem crossing—the only commercial crossing through which goods and aid are allowed to enter the Strip—was forcibly closed, rendering the citizens of the Gaza Strip generally, and the north of Gaza specifically, to confront the specter of hunger once again. —Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025

The View From Eleanor and David Democrats are haunted by the specter of Kara Eastman. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025

Faced with their beloved South Florida trailer park’s imminent closure, three single, older women band together to fight their eviction and save their community while confronting the specter of homelessness. —Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025

The 2024 prize went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots Japanese organization of atomic bomb survivors, at a time when the world was once again confronting the specter of nuclear weapons, amid Russia’s threats during its war in Ukraine. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025

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