as in haunting
of, relating to, or suggestive of a ghost
They spotted a spectral figure in the window of the old abandoned house.
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Recent Examples of spectral
And in the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, a 19th century murder and spectral testimony remains one of Appalachia's most haunting legends.
—
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2025
Because different minerals and rock types absorb and reflect light in subtly different ways across the spectrum, having fine spectral resolution is crucial to pinpoint where these minerals might be.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Among the most famous is Julian Eltinge, a longtime patron and vaudeville star, who’s said to have made the occasional spectral appearance.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2025
Previous research has pursued a number of different ways to recover spectral details from conventional smartphone RGB camera data.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Oct. 2025
Because different minerals and rock types absorb and reflect light in subtly different ways across the spectrum, having fine spectral resolution is crucial to pinpoint where these minerals might be.
—Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Among the most famous is Julian Eltinge, a longtime patron and vaudeville star, who’s said to have made the occasional spectral appearance.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2025
Previous research has pursued a number of different ways to recover spectral details from conventional smartphone RGB camera data.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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The truth can be far more haunting than any scary story.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
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Max Schreck’s uncanny performance and makeup design were absolutely mesmerizing, as was the film’s unparalleled haunting atmosphere, made all the more palpable by the grainy 16mm transfer to VHS.—
Robert Eggers,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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From an island shaped like a battleship to a village said to be home to a legendary witch, explore seven of the world’s eeriest, most mysterious destinations.—
Sarah Hutter,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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Over the years, in a third-floor guestroom (3327) where the woman stayed, guests have reported a number of strange and eerie occurrences.—
Noreen Kompanik,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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This time of the year, your yard might be getting visits that are scary and creepy.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Oct. 2025
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Three years after their wonderfully creepy first feature film Coraline, the stop-motion wizards at Laika released this horror comedy about an 11-year-old boy who can communicate with the dead.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Today, guests say the laughter hasn’t faded entirely, with reports of footsteps, flickering lights and phantom chatter ringing through the halls.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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No trail, just rock after rock, a phantom rattlesnake curled in every crevice.—
Rowan Jacobsen,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The ghostly presence here is Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan, who took his own life in 1814 where Muriel’s Séance Lounge is today.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
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Other notable ghostly towns Savannah, Georgia is an old city, and like any old city, it's got its share of ghost stories.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Constraints give creative energy a direction to travel, shaping the search space while also confining it — just enough that exploration becomes deeper, weirder, and more productive.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Oct. 2025
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Until then, things will get very weird, very fast.—
Victor Riparbelli,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The move signals ambitions beyond the CEO romances and supernatural love triangles that have dominated the space.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 Oct. 2025
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Valak first appears in The Conjuring 2, when the Warrens are in England, investigating the Enfield poltergeist — the case of a young girl allegedly experiencing a supernatural force taking over her body.—
Julie Tremaine,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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