specters

noun

variants or spectres
plural of specter
as in apparitions
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of specters See-through specters haunt the backstage area of the Muppet theater, a Muppet News report warns of man-eating furniture, and Kermit turns the tables on Price during a long talk about acting by sprouting fangs and biting the horror icon’s neck. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 June 2026 African diasporic people’s contentious history with these formations of motherhood create specters of separation as reproductive injustice. — Literary Hub, 8 June 2026 Ever the sassy songwriter, Musgraves handles these specters like a pro with witty write-offs. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026 Spectres are haunting the New York City Ballet—the spectres of kings and emperors. — Jennifer Homans, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 Skeletal specters emerge as a consequence of tampering with such dark magic, and one launches itself at McAdams' Christine Palmer. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026 San Francisco’s iconic fog also contributes to optical effects, like fog bows and brocken spectres, which are rainbows around a viewer’s shadow. — Newsroom Meteorologist, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Jan. 2026 The Duffers have always worn their influences with pride, and the specters of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King helped jump-start the series into a phenomenon. — Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025 The ground of the cemetery opens up beneath them, and specters rise into the air. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specters
  1. apparitions
  2. spirits
  3. ghosts
  4. shadows
  5. phantoms
Noun
  • That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Definition of apparitions
Noun
  • Dolly Parton made her final public appearance just two months before her death at the age of 80 and was in good spirits at the time.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Alcoholic beverages Wine, beer, spirits, including whiskey, vodka, gin, are all impacted.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of spirits
Noun
  • The official residence was the site of two bloody coup attempts in the 1930s, and legend has it that the building is haunted by ghosts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • However, for Penelope—and for myself—these ghosts are not liminal, but present.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of ghosts
Noun
  • Ivan’s room feels practically airless, his face obscured in shadows, or captured in hazy side profiles, as Anica’s bright, concerned gaze holds the frame’s focus.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 24 Aug. 2026
  • While looking at the shadows, Crimmins allegedly maneuvered the grapple so that its shadow appeared to grab Lynch’s shadow.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of shadows
Noun
  • Both phantoms were packed with thousands of dosimeters, tracking radiation dose over specific phases of the flight rather than just a cumulative total.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The two phantoms were designed to be adult females, since previous research found that breasts and ovaries are especially susceptible to radiation damage.
    — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of phantoms

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specter
specters
spectra
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Cite this Entry

“Specters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specters. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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