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
Using real-time spectral analysis inspired by George Lewis’s Voyager, the instrument generates its own musical responses to create a non-hierarchical duet between the performer’s physical gestures and the machine’s digital brain.
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Livingston's team even looked for the spectral features of these outflows from the planets, but their signal is overpowered by the strong stellar winds.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
According to Hisense, the common thread across these launches is color accuracy rooted in spectral precision rather than incremental brightness gains.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2026
Earlier Raman systems pulled in about 1,000 spectral bands with plenty of noise.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 Jan. 2026
Livingston's team even looked for the spectral features of these outflows from the planets, but their signal is overpowered by the strong stellar winds.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 20 Jan. 2026
According to Hisense, the common thread across these launches is color accuracy rooted in spectral precision rather than incremental brightness gains.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2026
Earlier Raman systems pulled in about 1,000 spectral bands with plenty of noise.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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Come to think of it, becoming a musician might be the ultimate haunting tactic.—
Cazzie David,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2026
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Under the Banner of Heaven is a haunting look at a specific corner of America not often depicted in popular media.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That cage, the magical but also eerie Thrushcross Grange, is a sight to behold—an epic, retina-searing, sometimes repulsive, consistently jaw-dropping palace, meticulously constructed by production designer Suzie Davies.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
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For what felt like an eternity — but was really 20 minutes — the whole place was enveloped in an eerie silence, the only sound being the steady thump of techno-pop playing through the loudspeakers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But hey, this was the '90s, when being weird for weird's sake was a thing, and a creepy animatronic penguin lurking in the shadows and terrorizing humans in a variety of '90s-ish noir settings is definitely that.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
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In the original, Hanks’ character is driven to madness, imagining that his neighbors in the creepy house across the street might be murderers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The team also documented an extremely rare phantom jellyfish (Stygiomedusa gigantea), which is known to grow as long as a school bus.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 Feb. 2026
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Here’s another phantom French tip by Koleva, this time in a pink champagne finish on long, squoval nails.—
Jacqueline Kilikita,
Refinery29,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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That phrase will take on new meaning this July as Disneyland announced its famed ghostly estate will become available for weddings for the first time.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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Creepy campfire tales of a ghostly demon who causes still-births for unsuspecting mothers the world over doesn’t help her own peace of mind.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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By the letter of the current weird law, yes, the officials got it right, but the law is a problem here because Haaland’s reaction should surely not define how the sequence is viewed.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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But hey, this was the '90s, when being weird for weird's sake was a thing, and a creepy animatronic penguin lurking in the shadows and terrorizing humans in a variety of '90s-ish noir settings is definitely that.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In this supernatural thriller, you’re transported back to the 1980’s and 90’s of Charleston, South Carolina, where a book club turns into a neighborhood watch as a newcomer to the city might be a blood-sucking demon.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
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Plot details are vague other then it being described as a dark academia young adult novel with a supernatural edge that will leave readers breathless.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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