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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The survivors were likely sheltering in the nearby grocery store, and Ellie and Dina barely wait for the say-so from Kat before creeping inside to investigate the eerie screeching.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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So yeah, another episode with its fun and eerie moments that doesn’t totally stick the landing, and that feels more like a remix of previous episodes than something truly new.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 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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Critics argued that Angel was essentially goosing its own box office receipts by persuading a passionate fan base to bankroll phantom tickets: enamored zealots shelling out for empty seats.—
Calum Marsh,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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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
Adjective
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That angle belongs to this ghostly presence that observes, and even sometimes interacts, on our behalf.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Jan. 2025
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Presence, now in theaters, opens with the ghostly entity observing as a family of four—married couple Rebekah (Lucy Liu) and Chris (Chris Sullivan) and their two teenage children, Tyler (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang)—tour and subsequently move into the residence.—
Megan McCluskey,
TIME,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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So those [neoclassical] artists are to me, in a very weird sense, the very earliest photographers—except their medium was oil on canvas.—
Mark Holgate,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
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The first sign of Mom Fatigue is leaving weird stuff in the fridge.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
14 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 20 Apr. 2025.
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