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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spectral
Similarly, spectral matching against a database isn’t foolproof.
—
Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2025
To have any hope of outrunning the spectral presence, the player must commit a serpentine route to memory.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Who’s to say there isn’t a spectral widow wandering the tracks by moonlight, searching for her husband’s head?
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
As Atom and Claudine traverse the countryside and meet various other characters (cast mostly from non-professional actors), the frame takes on a spectral presence.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2025
To have any hope of outrunning the spectral presence, the player must commit a serpentine route to memory.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
Who’s to say there isn’t a spectral widow wandering the tracks by moonlight, searching for her husband’s head?
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
As Atom and Claudine traverse the countryside and meet various other characters (cast mostly from non-professional actors), the frame takes on a spectral presence.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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Image Siren Queen by Nghi Vo The glamour of Old Hollywood is not usually my cup of tea, but this enchanting novel about a Chinese American girl looking to become a star in the 1930s was unexpectedly haunting and beautiful.—
Shannon Chakraborty,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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The impact was haunting, bringing the crowd to a stunned silence.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Backed by an eerie beat, the track revisits their promiscuous, party lifestyle with hedonistic lyricism.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2025
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Related article An eerie spiral lit up the European skies.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Also, point to Epic Universe for Curse of the Werewolf's natural blend into the creepy Dark Universe theming.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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What about that wily junk dealer, or the creepy cemetery?—
Kevin Purdy,
ArsTechnica,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But, somehow, life finds a way: The seafloor was crawling with critters of all shapes and sizes, from centuries-old sponges and cup corals to octopuses, snails, worms, sea spiders, icefish and even a rare giant phantom jellyfish.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Mar. 2025
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That’s selling shares without borrowing them first, creating phantom shares that distort the market.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Its ghostly inhabitants are never identified in a denominational kind of way but behave like the demons in The Exorcist and other Catholic possession films.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2025
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Rendered entirely in white, the sculpture’s ghostly presence indicates that despite attempts at care and containment, many plants did not survive the journey.—
Kelly Presutti,
ARTnews.com,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That definitely comes out of my work on Freud—and, in a weird way, René Girard, who’s anti-Freudian, but there’s a lot in common.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2025
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Mush balls are a weird weather phenomenon on Jupiter that astronomers first pieced together (also from Juno data) a few years ago.—
Kiona N. Smith,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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What’s interesting is supernatural activity spiked after the first nuclear reactors (assembled in Hyde Park) were buried in Red Gate Woods nearby.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
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This psychological drama examines the aftermath of a boarding school suicide, with two students uncovering hidden truths through a supernatural possession element.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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