variants
or spectre
as in apparition
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
Relevance
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 specter
The Iran conflict, like the Iraq one decades before, positions the UAE in a dangerous neighborhood and raises the worrying specter of a permanently unstable Iran on its doorstep.
—
Vasuki Shastry, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The new case in Switzerland, where the patient fell ill after his return to the mainland, raises the specter of human-to-human transmission, The Wall Street Journal reported.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 7 May 2026
While the specter of la migra continues to haunt the city, far more crushing are problems that affect everyone — affordability, housing, traffic, pollution.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The stock has been under pressure, down almost 60% over the last year as investors have sold off gaming stocks more broadly amid the sudden specter of competition from prediction markets and worries about consumer spending due to higher gas prices and inflation worries.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for specter
Vasuki Shastry, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
The new case in Switzerland, where the patient fell ill after his return to the mainland, raises the specter of human-to-human transmission, The Wall Street Journal reported.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 7 May 2026
While the specter of la migra continues to haunt the city, far more crushing are problems that affect everyone — affordability, housing, traffic, pollution.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The stock has been under pressure, down almost 60% over the last year as investors have sold off gaming stocks more broadly amid the sudden specter of competition from prediction markets and worries about consumer spending due to higher gas prices and inflation worries.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
-
The peak of Mercury's apparition (for latitude 40 degrees north) and its greatest elongation from the sun don't occur until the middle of June.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
-
The museum site has been a paranormal hotbed for decades, with sightings of apparitions, security camera footage capturing items flying off shelves, as well as experiences from staff members and visitors.—
Gregory Harutunian,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Scientists don’t know much about ghost pipefishes in general, Short says, and have mostly operated off observations from divers.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
After nearly 20 years of searching, researchers have officially documented the elusive hairy ghost pipefish, subsequently naming the new species after a muppet that's just as shaggy.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen were outstanding, and Sam Merrill hit huge corner 3s in the first half to break Detroit’s spirit early.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Activist spirits might dismiss this emphasis on the purely sonic as a strategy of avoidance, although the likes of Feizabadi and Kourliandski can’t be accused of sitting idly by.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The Stygiomedusa gigantea, commonly known as the giant phantom jelly, was filmed at 250 meters below the surface.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
