variants
or spectre
as in haunt
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of specter
The violence has raised the spectre that after more than two decades of security gains in Colombia, the country that once led the world in per capita murders and kidnappings may be quickly sliding back into chaos.
—
Christopher Sabatini, Time, 30 Aug. 2025
Badeev also took on the specter of AI and desk jobs.
—Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
King’s budget gives them the best chance possible right now to get through this school year without the specter of midyear budget cuts hanging over their heads.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Because being Black in America means never truly escaping the specter of death-too-soon.
—Trymaine Lee, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Christopher Sabatini, Time, 30 Aug. 2025
Badeev also took on the specter of AI and desk jobs.
—Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
King’s budget gives them the best chance possible right now to get through this school year without the specter of midyear budget cuts hanging over their heads.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Because being Black in America means never truly escaping the specter of death-too-soon.
—Trymaine Lee, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
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Fischer says the play resulted from Kirk’s sense, on a relatively recent return from Los Angeles to visit his old haunts, that much of old Chicago had disappeared.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Cliff is anxiously avoiding a pop-up comedy night being held at one of his old haunts, organized by one of his old stand-up pals.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Video footage recorded by their owner Macie Lamb shows two pups, Ace and Tango growling at a decorative object that resembles a small ceramic dog wearing a ghost costume while holding a pumpkin in its mouth.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
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But March’s family, which has seen their factory turned upside down by the ghost of a former employee, rejects the relationship.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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New Light Show Eventually, the NuPhy team managed to create a homogenous light source by placing the LEDs at different angles to the beans and that eliminated the shadows.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Ortega, who has lived in the shadows of the Coliseum since moving from Nayarit, Mexico, in 1992, said Oakland needed more days like these after the departures of three pro sports teams.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Chen is the wraith-like heart of this story, but her character strains belief even in a shaky hand of a movie that operates with all the internal logic of a gambling addiction.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
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This is a pen that is both weighty and lighthearted – fitting for the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, whose life of bonhomie and good cheer was disrupted by adventure and dragons and ring wraiths and war.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Science and magic, love, humour and phantoms.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
13 Aug. 2025
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Gesturing toward cinema’s roots in 19th-century phantom rides and panoramas, FELT finds a dynamic new form for the sensory experience of space and movement.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield are iconic characters that are wonderfully resurrected in this remake, the spooks are top notch, and the whole thing looks, sounds, and plays unbelievably.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
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However, her tragic demise spooks and haunts Jen, since her death is incredibly horrible and sad, rocking the whole Capesode community.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Ahead of the 500-year anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s apparition in Tepeyac, Mexico, the sculpture is embarking on a worldwide tour, with visits scheduled to Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, among other places.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
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In Lockwood’s world, the apparition of a saint is not strictly strange.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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