as in haunting
of, relating to, or suggestive of a ghost
They spotted a spectral figure in the window of the old abandoned house.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spectral
Reuniting with go-to Hollywood screenwriter David Koepp, who wrote his kicky techno-thriller Kimi, the director tells a familiar haunted-house story but from the haunter’s perspective — literally, as the entire movie unfolds from a spectral first-person POV!
—
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
These spectral mentors offer both comfort and warning, their presence giving new urgency to Shafak’s metaphors.
—Fidan Cheikosman, JSTOR Daily, 1 Jan. 2025
This image is a composite created using the different spectral capabilities of three different high-powered telescopes.
—Space.com Staff, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025
Yet her vocals, which swing from earthy to spectral, contain enormous amounts of pathos, boredom, joy, anxiety, resignation, hope.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spectral 
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 6 Jan. 2025
These spectral mentors offer both comfort and warning, their presence giving new urgency to Shafak’s metaphors.
—Fidan Cheikosman, JSTOR Daily, 1 Jan. 2025
This image is a composite created using the different spectral capabilities of three different high-powered telescopes.
—Space.com Staff, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025
Yet her vocals, which swing from earthy to spectral, contain enormous amounts of pathos, boredom, joy, anxiety, resignation, hope.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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The secret-weapon character who makes the more haunting impression is Agnes, whose chignon hides a rebellious spirit underneath — as well as a furtive romance with the stable boy, Isak (Malte Gårdinger).—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
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It was released by Disney, an implausible partner for a filmmaker known for haunting, surrealistic and often deeply disturbing movies.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Fred Rogers was beaten with a hammer, and his wife Edwina was killed with a single gunshot to the head Comments The gruesome murders of a Houston couple 60 years ago remain one of the most eerie unsolved cases in the city’s history.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
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But Lynch, who died last week, at seventy-eight, made films in which every cheerful surface seemed to obscure an eerie reality.—
Joshua Rothman,
The New Yorker,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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She's abruptly fired from her exercise show when her creepy boss (Dennis Quaid) decides to hunt for younger talent to be the face of the series.—
Eric Andersson,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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That said, Kinnear’s career-best turn as Crane is a highlight, and watching the actor (and his character) leverage his superficial likability for creepy ends amounts to a sick kind of entertainment.—
Vikram Murthi,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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That doesn't rule out that other pollsters are generating phantom swings by updating their weights, of course.—
G. Elliott Morris,
ABC News,
13 Jan. 2025
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But that estimate sharply dropped once authorities subtracted the amount of phantom investment gains and interest that Madoff’s customers were duped into believing existed.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Walt Disney Imagineering will introduce a new ghostly bride using projection technology in the Haunted Mansion’s attic scene when the classic dark ride returns today, Jan. 18 after shedding its annual holiday overlay.—
Brady MacDonald,
Orange County Register,
18 Jan. 2025
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Astronaut shoots a shadowy Dragon Monday, November 4, 2024: NASA astronaut Don Pettit snapped this ghostly photo of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Freedom docked at the International Space Station.—
Space.com Staff,
Space.com,
1 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Skip to main content Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about reads.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2025
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Yeah, the weirdest feeling is that initial feeling of shock.—
Chris Perugini,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Sources tell Deadline Jake Gyllenhaal is set to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming film, a supernatural romantic thriller, based on an original story co-created by Shyamalan and global-bestselling novelist Nicholas Sparks.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2025
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Ranging from supernatural thrillers to creature-features starring flesh-eating monsters, there's plenty to keep your eyes glued on AMC Networks' horror streaming video service.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near spectral
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
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