specter

noun

spec·​ter ˈspek-tər 

variants or spectre

1

: a visible disembodied spirit : ghost

2

: something that haunts or perturbs the mind : phantasm

the specter of hunger

Synonyms

• apparition
• bogey
• bogie
• bogy
• familiar spirit
• ghost
• hant [dialect]
• haunt [chiefly dialect]
• materialization
• phantasm
• fantasm
• phantom
• poltergeist
• shade
• shadow
• spirit
• spook
• sprite
• vision
• visitant
• wraith

Examples of specter in a Sentence

feeling so terrified that every shadow became a specter

Recent Examples on the Web

Shadows lengthened and slid up the walls like specters, and a chill descended on the temples. —Monisha Rajesh, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2024

Yet McKnight says these orbiting specters of exploded shells might not represent the greatest danger to spacefarers and space habitats. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

Combs is facing several other lawsuits already underway and the specter of many more allegedly due to be filed. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2024

And while the specter of Mach’s Haitian ancestry is never far from reach, Pray for Haiti also plays like his witty facsimile of a rap star. —Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French spectre, from Latin spectrum appearance, specter, from specere to look, look at — more at spy

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing specter

• raised the specter of
• the specter of (something)

Kids Definition

specter

noun

spec·​ter

variants or spectre

ˈspek-tər 

1

: ghost

2

: something that bothers the mind