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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of specter
Analysts note Mamdani’s promises to raise corporate taxes and income taxes on millionaires and freeze rents raise the specter of a leftward shift for America’s biggest city.
—
Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The decision to close the waterway now rests with the country's national security council, and its possibility has raised the specter of higher energy prices and aggravated geopolitical tensions, with Washington calling upon Beijing to prevent the strait's closure.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 23 June 2025
He's also raised the specter of targeting the supreme leader himself.
—ABC News, 22 June 2025
For many adults, recent events in the United States have been raising the specter of authoritarianism — chiefly, policies targeting specific groups of people.
—Christine Dimattei, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The decision to close the waterway now rests with the country's national security council, and its possibility has raised the specter of higher energy prices and aggravated geopolitical tensions, with Washington calling upon Beijing to prevent the strait's closure.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 23 June 2025
He's also raised the specter of targeting the supreme leader himself.
—ABC News, 22 June 2025
For many adults, recent events in the United States have been raising the specter of authoritarianism — chiefly, policies targeting specific groups of people.
—Christine Dimattei, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for specter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specter
Noun
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December saw a number of closings, which included restaurants, bars, breweries, and even coffee shops, many of which had been around for years, like a haunt that closed after nearly three decades.—
Bahar Anooshahr,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
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Hartford Courant Last July, after Tiger Woods declined, Bradley, 39, became Captain America, leader of the U.S. team for the Ryder Cup which, like the Travelers, will be played this year near his earliest golf haunts, his alma mater.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2025
Noun
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But what do the locals actually think of their vampire-like namesake, who is believed to be the vengeful ghost of a woman who died in pregnancy or childbirth? To find out, researcher Timo Duile headed to Pontianak for conversations with ethnic Malay Muslim and Dayak Christian residents.—
H.M.A. Leow,
JSTOR Daily,
5 July 2025
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The ghosts of late 1950s-early 1960s country favorites Maybelle Carter and Patsy Cline share space with pop-soul icons The Shirelles.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
The final scene shifts to the three Fates, also known as the Kindly Ones, knitting in the shadows.—
Aya Al-Hakim,
People.com,
7 July 2025
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The op-ed made the incredible claim that ratings agencies were being swayed by public utilities companies, meanwhile the PURA chair operates in the shadows.—
Timothy M. Herbst,
Hartford Courant,
6 July 2025
Noun
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This is a pen that is both weighty and lighthearted – fitting for the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, whose life of bonhomie and good cheer was disrupted by adventure and dragons and ring wraiths and war.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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The First Shadow was an effect as magical as the telekinetic wraiths emanating above the actors’ bodies.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rubin hopes to tally these same sorts of deep-space particles, the kind that all of Earth is constantly microdosing, phantom starlight from the farthest reaches of the universe.—
Michael Jones McKean,
The Atlantic,
23 June 2025
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At least until quarter to 2, when Lindsay Lohan whorls through the door like a raspy chaos phantom.—
Jeff Weiss,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
Noun
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George’s horse spooks and flees; looking up at a ridge, Joe sees Yé’iitsoh.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
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The line-up of spooks will be familiar to fans of the British show, with some twists to account for French culture and history.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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If the humor clicks with you, there’s joy to be had in accidentally setting yourself on fire over and over again while being chased by a Slenderman-like apparition made of Post-Its.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
19 June 2025
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Venus reaches its point of greatest western elongation on June 1, at which time the dazzling 'morning star' will be at its most distant point from the sun in Earth's sky during its pre-dawn apparition.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Specter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specter. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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