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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Recent Examples of spectral
Such spectral doppelgängers stalk the living as grim omens of impending death.
—
Arkansas Online, 22 May 2025
As the spectral figure begins to manifest in real life, his girlfriend Pia investigates the ghost’s identity, uncovering connections to a former university student named Lilies.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 May 2025
Season three’s conclusion includes a joyous picnic with another estranged branch of the family, including a relative who had for years planned to murder them all, as a spectral Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles) looks on approvingly.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 May 2025
After the robot collects its detailed visual and spectral imagery, Jiang says, a customized AI model compares it to a data bank to spot patterns known to be indicators of existing disease or vulnerability, allowing a farmer to concentrate prevention or treatment efforts on a particular location.
—Hope Hodge Seck, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Arkansas Online, 22 May 2025
As the spectral figure begins to manifest in real life, his girlfriend Pia investigates the ghost’s identity, uncovering connections to a former university student named Lilies.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 May 2025
Season three’s conclusion includes a joyous picnic with another estranged branch of the family, including a relative who had for years planned to murder them all, as a spectral Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles) looks on approvingly.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 May 2025
After the robot collects its detailed visual and spectral imagery, Jiang says, a customized AI model compares it to a data bank to spot patterns known to be indicators of existing disease or vulnerability, allowing a farmer to concentrate prevention or treatment efforts on a particular location.
—Hope Hodge Seck, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
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Turns out, after a haunting 4-3 loss in the 2024 Memorial Cup championship to the Saginaw Spirit, Cowan had a lot left to learn and to gain in his game.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Guth landed on a more haunting and ambiguous image: Salome walking into a luminous mist, leaving mad reality behind.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Lochridge cites the monitoring system for the Titan’s novel carbon fiber hull — the same system that showed eerie cracking noises.—
Adam Carlson,
People.com,
6 June 2025
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Phobias, a silent clown duo with a horror twist, brought eerie theatrics to the stage — complete with balloon popping and unsettling surprises — and successfully freaked out the judges (especially Howie Mandel).—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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Devon is suspicious of Simone’s borderline creepy relationship with her boss, Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore), and ambushes her with an intervention at the Kells’ island home.—
Emily Blackwood,
People.com,
3 June 2025
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Bug poems can’t completely sublimate their object of poetic attention—bugs are too creepy and alive.—
Hannah Brooks-Motl
June 2,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Is Sachiko merely a model for Etsuko to emulate, a phantom projection of what her future could be, or the older Etsuko’s distanced reflection of her past?—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
21 May 2025
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An investigation into the phantom cows scam and three of the firms behind it by Uruguay's Prosecutor's Office for Money Laundering Crimes is ongoing, Reuters reported.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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That little tidbit of haunting history doesn’t have anything to do with the elk’s ghostly appearance.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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These ghostly demons are said to appear before a person's passing, a premonition that looks identical to the soon-to-be-deceased.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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More Getty Images Adam Scott's weird practice round revealed As Scott prepares for the final showdown, a viral video has added much more interest in his golf swing.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 June 2025
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Plus there are the weird noises coming from a locked backroom upstairs.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
14 June 2025
Adjective
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With brilliant sound design and perfectly-dosed jump scares, first time director Kim Soo-jin blends real-life anxieties with stark, supernatural elements to create genuine tension that never lets go.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
5 June 2025
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There’s a lot going on with supernatural elements, topics of mental health and reincarnation.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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