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
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 specters
See-through specters haunt the backstage area of the Muppet theater, a Muppet News report warns of man-eating furniture, and Kermit turns the tables on Price during a long talk about acting by sprouting fangs and biting the horror icon’s neck.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 June 2026
African diasporic people’s contentious history with these formations of motherhood create specters of separation as reproductive injustice.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Ever the sassy songwriter, Musgraves handles these specters like a pro with witty write-offs.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
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
San Francisco’s iconic fog also contributes to optical effects, like fog bows and brocken spectres, which are rainbows around a viewer’s shadow.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 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
Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 June 2026
African diasporic people’s contentious history with these formations of motherhood create specters of separation as reproductive injustice.
—Literary Hub, 8 June 2026
Ever the sassy songwriter, Musgraves handles these specters like a pro with witty write-offs.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
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
San Francisco’s iconic fog also contributes to optical effects, like fog bows and brocken spectres, which are rainbows around a viewer’s shadow.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 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
-
Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
-
Why then, when discussing body image after weight changes, is our culture reaching for the language of vexing apparitions and death?—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Thank you for a plethora of news on June 17 that didn’t crush our spirits.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
-
As one of the world’s largest spirits conglomerates, the company certainly had access to some choice, well-aged stocks.—
David Thomas Tao,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
Now adults and estranged, the siblings battle perception, reality, legacy and plenty of ghosts.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
20 June 2026
-
Co-stars include Aaron Paul and Bryce Dallas Howard in the story of two fraudulent paranormal investigators who are forced to face real ghosts and the lies underpinning their business.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
As a result, MSV now lives on in the shadows.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
Aerial video of the blaze showed smoke billowing from numerous beachside buildings, with large gray plumes of smoke casting dark shadows on the beach's turquoise waters.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Specters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specters. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
