variants
or spectre
as in haunt
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of specter
Opposing Farage’s proposal, however, leaves open the specter of privatization, which many say has been creeping up even before the Health and Social Care Act 2012 opened up the NHS to bids from private contractors.
—
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
With glowing eyes, a chilling Vincent Price-style voice (delivering deliciously cheesy dialogue), and four points of ghostly animatronic movement, this bony specter is every bit the haunted showstopper.
—PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
Satellite imagery, Pentagon releases, and ship tracking reports reveal stealth jets, Marines, and naval vessels poised across Puerto Rico and the eastern Caribbean, raising the specter of escalating tensions that some say could be the opening moves of a broader confrontation.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Immigration advocates worry that the spectre of a Communist incursion could provide the Administration with another way to raise fears about migrants—and another way to refuse people entry.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Alexander Smith, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
With glowing eyes, a chilling Vincent Price-style voice (delivering deliciously cheesy dialogue), and four points of ghostly animatronic movement, this bony specter is every bit the haunted showstopper.
—PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2025
Satellite imagery, Pentagon releases, and ship tracking reports reveal stealth jets, Marines, and naval vessels poised across Puerto Rico and the eastern Caribbean, raising the specter of escalating tensions that some say could be the opening moves of a broader confrontation.
—John Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Immigration advocates worry that the spectre of a Communist incursion could provide the Administration with another way to raise fears about migrants—and another way to refuse people entry.
—Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
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The haunt went on a seven-year hiatus after Abel died, but Mike, determined to honor his father’s legacy, brought it back in 2023.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
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Ancient Egyptian theatrical home haunt.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Families are turning dinner into an activity by using pizza dough or premade crusts to mold fun, spooky shapes, like ghosts, pumpkins, and bats, before topping them with sauce, cheese, and all their favorite fixings.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Oct. 2025
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The Chicago Tribune reported that the empty lot where Gacy's house once stood became a tourist attraction for true crime fans and ghost hunters in the 1980s.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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If built, the tower threatens to cast his 1865 house largely in the shadows for months at a time.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
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The think tank also set out to create shadow versions of the OMB and of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel to anticipate legal challenges and counter internal pushback.—
Andy Kroll,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On his journey, Geralt slices up several soldiers, a giant, ogre-like creature and a ghostly wraith.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
7 Oct. 2025
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In the footage, Geralt approaches the domain of a wraith and battles the skeletal specter, culminating in a heart-ripping moment.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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When the surplus was exposed as a phantom, the state was stuck with a chronic income/outgo gap that persists.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
18 Oct. 2025
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When the surplus was exposed as a phantom, the state was stuck with a chronic income/outgo gap that persists.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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There will be trick-or-treating, costume contests, spook-tacular inflatables, Halloween crafts and vendor booths to connect with families with community resources.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Oct. 2025
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Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield are iconic characters that are wonderfully resurrected in this remake, the spooks are top notch, and the whole thing looks, sounds, and plays unbelievably.—
Oliver Brandt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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These days, Maurice is said to appear as an apparition on the 14th floor.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
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In Good Boy, Indy investigates strange noises and ghostly apparitions in the remote country house.—
Laura Martin,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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