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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of specter
In addition to extending the shutdown, the negotiations standoff raises the specter of cutting into the recess that was supposed to begin at the end of this week.
—
Justin Papp, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
Unbridled optimism might as well be the way to go now, what with the specter of a lockout next year hanging over the game like Death himself.
—Kevin Sherrington
mar. 25, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026
That leaves shots in other categories open to legal challenges by vaccine injury lawyers, renewing the specter of big legal verdicts that previously prompted vaccine makers to bolt.
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
There are ways that Chalamet can pick himself back up, perhaps most of all by ignoring the specter of the statue, doing the work and being part of an ensemble once again.
—Josh Spiegel, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for specter
Justin Papp, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2026
Unbridled optimism might as well be the way to go now, what with the specter of a lockout next year hanging over the game like Death himself.
—Kevin Sherrington
mar. 25, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026
That leaves shots in other categories open to legal challenges by vaccine injury lawyers, renewing the specter of big legal verdicts that previously prompted vaccine makers to bolt.
—Patricia Callahan, ProPublica, 19 Mar. 2026
There are ways that Chalamet can pick himself back up, perhaps most of all by ignoring the specter of the statue, doing the work and being part of an ensemble once again.
—Josh Spiegel, HollywoodReporter, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
-
Acosta’s bright shapes could be seen as apparitions of a sort.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
-
For example, the apparition of his first wife, Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis), appeared a handful times in season five.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
When Wei’s Cantonese left its Meridian ghost-kitchen building and paused business — vowing to seek another location later — fans were understandably disappointed.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
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Listen to the full episode to hear about the ghost-hunting groups that rose up to fight them, and how ghost hoaxing was the precursor to that terrifying scary clown trend from 2016.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, there was also John Ashbery, a presiding spirit in his body of work.—
Giles Harvey,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
For travelers with an adventurous spirit, Costa Rica’s South Pacific is a dream come true.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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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 1 Apr. 2026.
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