variants
or spectre
as in haunt
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
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of specter
Played by the same actors (Michelle A. Banks and John Earl Jelks), both couples face the specter of death when the man is diagnosed with tuberculosis in the early story and the woman with AIDS in the later one.
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Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
This new show also wouldn’t exist under the specter of Kevin Costner and the drama of his exit from Yellowstone.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
But during the holiday season, people have been shopping for holiday gifts as opposed to focusing on the specter of tariffs.
—David Moin, WWD, 3 Dec. 2024
While Patel's nomination to the FBI has repeatedly raised the specter of retribution, what has not been very extensively discussed is what kind of consequences there are for a federal official who pursues what is a legally frivolous action against a U.S. citizen on a malicious basis.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for specter 
Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
This new show also wouldn’t exist under the specter of Kevin Costner and the drama of his exit from Yellowstone.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
But during the holiday season, people have been shopping for holiday gifts as opposed to focusing on the specter of tariffs.
—David Moin, WWD, 3 Dec. 2024
While Patel's nomination to the FBI has repeatedly raised the specter of retribution, what has not been very extensively discussed is what kind of consequences there are for a federal official who pursues what is a legally frivolous action against a U.S. citizen on a malicious basis.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
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Although Aspen is both an all-year town, as January trudges on, Vogue has compiled our favorite local haunts and buzzy hangouts for the season.Elise Taylor, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2025
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Over the years, the hotel hosted many of the festival’s famed guests, earning it a reputation as a kind of Grand Budapest Hotel of the Levant—a haunt for musicians and poets such as Miles Davis, Fairuz, and Jean Cocteau.Youmna Melhem Chamieh, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There will be more hiking through desolate, wide-open spaces, more ghosts, and, of course, more unhinged metamodern storytelling.Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
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Located on a former plantation, there are stories about the ghosts of enslaved people frequenting the area around the oak, contributing to its spiritual atmosphere.Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Buck stands under the soft glow of Tiffany-style fixtures, his guitar slung casually over his shoulders and his brown cowboy hat casting a shadow over his black denim jacket.Maxwell Williams, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
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Since its discovery in the 1970s and protection under the Endangered Species Act, the snail darter has cast a long shadow over American law, conservation and biology.Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Agatha is also being pursued by her ex, Rio Vidal (Aubrey Plaza), a powerful green witch, as well as the Salem Seven, vengeful wraiths of Agatha's first coven.Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 24 Dec. 2024
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Many slide hopelessly back into lives as nearly invisible wraiths, measured in the intervals between fixes — and arrests.Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Listen to this article San Diego Symphony organ curator Bob Knight will never be mistaken for the phantom of the opera.George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025
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This character is essentially a phantom to you until the very end of Elden Ring.Ashley Bardhan, Vulture, 17 June 2024
Noun
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Brandon and his cohorts are essentially white-collar espionage spooks, trafficking in all-in-a-day’s-work deceit punctuated by violence.David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2024
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But that didn’t stop Joe Barton, creator of Black Doves, the Netflix Christmas spy thriller now streaming, from encumbering star Keira Knightley as dedicated wife and professional spook Helen Webb with Ben Whishaw‘s Sam Young, a fellow spy and assassin, in all matters of love and relationships.Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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There have been no sightings, no fleeting apparitions.David Ornstein, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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Harker’s lonely investigations are often interrupted by jump scares courtesy of dark apparitions with the silhouettes of nesting dolls.Beatrice Loayza, Vulture, 12 July 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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