variants
or spectres
as in apparitions
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 specters
Skeletal specters emerge as a consequence of tampering with such dark magic, and one launches itself at McAdams' Christine Palmer.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
The Duffers have always worn their influences with pride, and the specters of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King helped jump-start the series into a phenomenon.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
The ground of the cemetery opens up beneath them, and specters rise into the air.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
As Calhoun summarizes, the first part takes up the subject of magic and necromancy, the second treats of witchcraft and sorcery, and the third discourses of all kinds of spirits and specters.
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
The Duffers have always worn their influences with pride, and the specters of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King helped jump-start the series into a phenomenon.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Nov. 2025
The ground of the cemetery opens up beneath them, and specters rise into the air.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
As Calhoun summarizes, the first part takes up the subject of magic and necromancy, the second treats of witchcraft and sorcery, and the third discourses of all kinds of spirits and specters.
—Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specters
Noun
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As the 14-year-old child of a poor family in 1858, Saint Bernadette experienced numerous apparitions of a young woman in a cave or grotto, seemingly the Virgin Mary, asking for a chapel to be built on the site.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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The small museum, which opened last year, covers the creatures, apparitions and mysteries eluding prosaic explanation.—
Adam Kuehl,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The spirits are all around here.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
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The day event features a pop-up photo studio with celebrity photographer David Christopher Lee, along with brands across beauty, wellness, home and spirits — and puppies also available for adoption.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Paramount+ series, which follows a group of ghosts stuck in purgatory inside their high school, uses its premise — characters tethered to different decades — as both a narrative engine and a musical one.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
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This may explain something about ghosts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
They were hidden in DART’s original photos, but UMD researchers Tony Farnham and Juan Rizos developed techniques to remove shadows and lighting effects.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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Titled ClairObscur, it was dedicated to illuminating forms of character through the exploration of shadows, in part inspired by the dramatic tenebrism of Caravaggio.—
Luke Leitch,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just in time for Halloween, the sonic phantoms that have long plagued the ladies of The View have seemingly possessed inanimate objects over on the Live With Kelly and Mark set.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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Because contemporary phantoms of Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, and Rolex are expertly constructed to entice even the most discerning eye, provenance is crucial.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Specters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specters. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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