as in haunting
of, relating to, or suggestive of a ghost
They spotted a spectral figure in the window of the old abandoned house.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 spectral
By using different filters and spectral bands on instruments aboard both satellites, powerful images can be created to show the near real-time growth and movement of the fire and smoke.
—
Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 8 Jan. 2025
With the use of sophisticated imagers, the satellite offers high spatial and temporal resolution imagery of Earth throughout 16 spectral bands at visible and infrared wavelengths.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
These aesthetic flourishes find an auditory corollary in Kenneth Blume’s swelling, spectral score, which toggles between sinister and ecstatic.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
Are the spectral and corporeal worlds friends or foes?
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spectral 
Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 8 Jan. 2025
With the use of sophisticated imagers, the satellite offers high spatial and temporal resolution imagery of Earth throughout 16 spectral bands at visible and infrared wavelengths.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 26 Dec. 2024
These aesthetic flourishes find an auditory corollary in Kenneth Blume’s swelling, spectral score, which toggles between sinister and ecstatic.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2025
Are the spectral and corporeal worlds friends or foes?
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
-
This series delves deep into some of the most haunting and underreported stories from the calendar.—
Melissa Noel,
Essence,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Matt and Ryan have crafted a story that is haunting and deeply relevant.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Lurking around every corner is an eerie feeling that something, or someone, may be watching you.—
Megan duBois,
Southern Living,
17 Feb. 2025
-
Every family has photos like this: a man posing with what is likely a prized possession, a Brownie camera; a woman in a living room chair looking unamused by the photographer; a trio of joyful young girls given an eerie overlay from a double exposure or developing mishap.—
April White,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
And the relatives are creepy, even by Mayfair standards.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025
-
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.—
Rachel Flynn,
People.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The taxpayer is already struggling to pay for everyday expenses, and then also has to pay capital gains tax on phantom gains.—
Jon Styf | The Center Square,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The film’s ghostly images are at once flattened and alive, hovering in visual purgatory as scenes begin to feel not only like fever dreams, but out-of-body observations of the dreamers themselves.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
-
That angle belongs to this ghostly presence that observes, and even sometimes interacts, on our behalf.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Gilda, who fell in love easily and often, and wasn’t afraid to be weird, or look ridiculous.—
Adrienne LaFrance,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2025
-
This isn’t to take a weird victory lap several years later.—
Grant Brisbee,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That chasm is also home to a supernatural force that cannot be allowed to get out, under any circumstances.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Following the quieter response to his first two films, Perkins broke into mainstream success with last year’s supernatural serial killer flick Longlegs, his first in a three-film deal for Neon.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
7 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near spectral
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share