spectral

adjective

Definition of spectralnext
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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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 spectral This chamber spotlights the prevalence and power of the spectral and supernatural in film, with ghosts serving as inspiration for special and visual effects innovation. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 July 2026 Unfortunately, the costs of this fleeting spectral wonder are high, borne by negative consequences for our environment and our health. — Char Miller, Time, 30 June 2026 The visual intersperses footage from a trip the pair took to Iceland with clips of their Upstate New York home, a fitting backdrop to Sprague’s spectral vocals and wandering synth arcs. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026 However, Cher believes that her ex is nevertheless a spectral presence in her life. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
  1. haunting
  2. eerie
  3. creepy
  4. phantom
  5. ghostly
  6. weird
  7. supernatural
Adjective
  • Their voyage transforms into a haunting meditation on exile, longing and the elusive promise of belonging.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 30 July 2026
  • Despite lingering radiation, Pripyat draws photographers and history enthusiasts eager to witness one of the most complete—and haunting—portraits of a city abruptly frozen.
    — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026
Definition of haunting
Adjective
  • Seeing an old bulky PC with a PC-DOS command line OS takes those of us of a certain age back to the heady days when computers were exciting and new, even though they had not yet been endowed with the eerie cognitive powers of LLMs.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The ascent to Les Angles was eerie and airy, Pogačar outkicking Vingegaard to take yellow and his first of five stages in this edition.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of eerie
Adjective
  • Men are supposed to pay for dinner but also treat women as equals; to initiate flirty banter but never be creepy or aggressive; to be sturdy and masculine but also empathetic and thoughtful.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Or maybe his creepy siblings are in the building also and soon Negan will be in the most terrifying encounter of his life.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of creepy
Adjective
  • Linebacker Drue Tranquill broke up a fade attempt to running back Kenneth Walker, leading to Mahomes amusingly calling for a flag from phantom officials.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 July 2026
  • The idea is to take these phantom tissues and place them close to powerful EM sources, transmitters, and other systems to study what happens.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026
Definition of phantom
Adjective
  • But as his novel goes on, nighttime scenes and vivid memories are replaced by exchanges of purely expository dialogue, which seeks to explain to the reader, point by point, the book’s ghostly developments.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • The rapper, who has the small role of a bard in Nolan’s cinematic retelling of the Greek epic poem, weaves together Homer’s prose with modern lyricism on the ghostly track that alludes to Odysseus’ long journey.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026
Definition of ghostly
Adjective
  • Chip Honcho seems unlikely to be enormously loved by the track money, but weirder things have happened.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • This is a problem with anything that gets into that weird private equity, conglomerate zone.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
Definition of weird
Adjective
  • The actor went on to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, Oliver Stone’s Savages, and the FX series The Bridge, and most recently supernatural horror Black Phone 2 and Andy Garcia’s Diamond.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Blending horror with comedy, the Apple TV show takes place in a fictitious New England island town afflicted by a centuries-old curse that brings about supernatural evils.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 31 July 2026
Definition of supernatural

Browse Nearby Words

spectra
spectral
spectrum
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Cite this Entry

“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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