variants
or spectre
as in apparition
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 specter of higher inflation poses a conundrum for policymakers, who face the challenge of ratcheting down inflation toward the Fed's 2% annual target while also propping up a labor market that is showing signs of fatigue.
—
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
That specter continues to reverberate through that first Chiefs Super Bowl roster, from which 12 had died by their early 70s, suffering from such issues as cancer, heart problems, seizures and various forms of dementia.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Mar. 2026
Unlike the teams’ two January games in Minneapolis, played under the specter of heavy occupation by federal immigration agents, the matchup in San Francisco was played under more normal circumstances.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the threat of AI reshaping the business of making films looms, and the specter of industry collapse, of American cities hollowed out by manufacturing jobs going overseas and workers made obsolete by new technologies, hangs heavy over the boulevards and palm trees of Los Angeles.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for specter
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
That specter continues to reverberate through that first Chiefs Super Bowl roster, from which 12 had died by their early 70s, suffering from such issues as cancer, heart problems, seizures and various forms of dementia.
—Kansas City Star, 15 Mar. 2026
Unlike the teams’ two January games in Minneapolis, played under the specter of heavy occupation by federal immigration agents, the matchup in San Francisco was played under more normal circumstances.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, the threat of AI reshaping the business of making films looms, and the specter of industry collapse, of American cities hollowed out by manufacturing jobs going overseas and workers made obsolete by new technologies, hangs heavy over the boulevards and palm trees of Los Angeles.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
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For example, the apparition of his first wife, Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis), appeared a handful times in season five.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
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The story follows a young woman who regains consciousness after three years in a coma, only to be confronted by the apparition of her deceased sister, as their mother’s search for the truth behind the sister’s death gradually uncovers a dark hereditary secret stretching back centuries.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Even a house ghost who might not come through the door, but sometimes makes her — probably her — presence known.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Mar. 2026
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Natalie, a ghost who forgot she was exorcised, asks who is going to get the Pinocchio mask.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Missile exchanges have jarred with the spirit of the holidays underway across the region.—
Siham Shamalakh,
Washington Post,
22 Mar. 2026
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Waddle is a diminutive deity in Texas, where whispers of his spirit twist across baseball diamonds and basketball courts and football fields from Bellaire to the Woodlands to Dallas.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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The Stygiomedusa gigantea, commonly known as the giant phantom jelly, was filmed at 250 meters below the surface.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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