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
The story follows four standalone, but interlinked tales, each inspired by an iconic Chinese dish and tied together by a spectral chef, who presides over a mysterious, otherwordly restaurant.
—
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
The global spectral phenomena will happen the night after the Southern Taurids meteor shower peaks, according to the American Meteor Society.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The vast stillness of the second movement, with spectral arpeggios chiming on a prepared piano, was all the more potent in contrast.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
In Frozen Empire, an ancient artifact threatens to unleash a second Ice Age and two generations of Ghostbusters must unite to save humankind from this curse and other spectral forces.
—Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
The global spectral phenomena will happen the night after the Southern Taurids meteor shower peaks, according to the American Meteor Society.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The vast stillness of the second movement, with spectral arpeggios chiming on a prepared piano, was all the more potent in contrast.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
In Frozen Empire, an ancient artifact threatens to unleash a second Ice Age and two generations of Ghostbusters must unite to save humankind from this curse and other spectral forces.
—Emy Lacroix, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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The ultimate Christmastime tradition ought to be repeat viewings of BBC's A Ghost Story for Christmas TV movie series, and its pinnacle, the haunting Whistle and I'll Come to You (available on AMC+ and YouTube).—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Dec. 2025
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And, in several haunting instances, scenes aboard his helicopter.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Officials have released eerie surveillance footage capturing a ‘person of interest’ in the unsolved murders of an Ohio dentist and his wife, who were gunned down inside their home.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Following the murder of their father, siblings Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) are relocated to his eerie Victorian estate in Massachusetts.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The woman dressed as a spooky ringmaster while her husband played the part of a creepy clown.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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None of this would work without Jennings’s unsettling performance as a persuasive tempter who nonetheless seems creepy as hell.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In phantom endovascular models, the robot successfully navigated through tortuous vessel-like structures, demonstrating the technique’s potential for minimally invasive vascular interventions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Jan. 2026
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While headlines celebrated a soft landing, the underlying labor market was experiencing a phantom jobs reversal.—
Katica Roy,
Fortune,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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This isn’t the first time that Beatriz has drawn ghostly spirits out of Mexican history.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
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The book’s heroine, Catherine Morland, is an avid reader of the popular novels of the day, and has a specific fondness for Ann Radcliffe’s real-life 1794 best seller, The Mysteries of Udolpho, a tale of ghostly figures and hidden manuscripts.—
Erin Somers,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The then-unknown Michael Shannon, whose early career roles in Chicago were every bit as weird as this play, starred in that production.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
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But this year, due to weird scheduling, the BAFTA nods will come out on January 27, after the Oscar nominations.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Set in Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s, Stranger Things starts with a true-crime mystery that quickly turns supernatural.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
7 Jan. 2026
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An epic with supernatural and epigenetic overtones, this debut novel looks like a feast of a story.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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