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
Its multispectral imager is designed to detect different wavelengths of light, as the spectral signatures from light that reflects off 16 Psyche can be used to learn about the asteroid's composition.
—
Andrew Jones, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
With his deathly pallor and Byronic charm, Stamp was perfect as the self-destructive, swaggering scoundrel who is haunted by visions of a spectral little girl.
—Christina Newland, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
One instance sees a ghastly spectral soldier filling a stream with all the lost souls of the enemies the player has killed so far, but the battle itself is just a slow walk to the end that’s exhausting to trudge through.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
With a wingspan of up to three feet and a taste for rodents, insects, and even other bats, spectral bats are the largest carnivorous bats in the world.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Andrew Jones, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
With his deathly pallor and Byronic charm, Stamp was perfect as the self-destructive, swaggering scoundrel who is haunted by visions of a spectral little girl.
—Christina Newland, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
One instance sees a ghastly spectral soldier filling a stream with all the lost souls of the enemies the player has killed so far, but the battle itself is just a slow walk to the end that’s exhausting to trudge through.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
With a wingspan of up to three feet and a taste for rodents, insects, and even other bats, spectral bats are the largest carnivorous bats in the world.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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Her voice, later verified by outlets including The Washington Post and Sky News, became one of the most haunting symbols of the war.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
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And in 2022, Semafor worked with an artist to illustrate and animate an interview using AI tools to create a haunting video interpretation of life in Ukraine under Russian occupation.—
Gina Chua,
semafor.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Wax Child is an eerie, unsettling book about a group of women who have apparently been possessed and empowered by a tall and headless Devil.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
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Uckotter’s eerie depictions of attics, slip dresses, and toys calls to mind the cinematic worlds created by David Lynch.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The creepy hand is hand-crafted from metal and pairs well with the line’s other stemware, too.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
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Cute + creepy = money-printing machine.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Presumably, all of Moore's clients were audited, had these phantom losses disallowed, and ended up paying the harsh 40% penalty for lack of economic substance.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Hutch is a phantom presence around the Mansell household at best.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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As the mystery unravels from multiple POVs, Alex’s kooky aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) is revealed as the orchestrator of the tragedy — her fiery orange hair, nimble fingers, ghostly face and wicked crimson smile a memorable image that haunts the narrative.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
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Related Stories The ghostly feeling was accentuated by the fact that Weems couldn’t interact with anyone except the defiant Wednesday and her lifelong enemy Morticia.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Even with Muchová so clearly struggling, Osaka faced some weird jeopardy down the stretch.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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Far from being dead, reunions exist now in a zone of distortion, a weird gray area in which many people feel obligated to go without quite knowing why.—
Jordan Michelman,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Armed with her signature razor-sharp wit and deadpan charm, Wednesday is also plunged into a new bone-chilling supernatural mystery.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Like other games in the series, Persona 5 Royal follows a group of teens up against a supernatural threat.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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