adjective
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of or like a spectre
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of or relating to a spectrum
spectral colours
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physics (of a physical quantity) relating to a single wavelength of radiation
spectral luminous efficiency
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spectral
First recorded in 1710–20; from Latin spectr(um) ( see specter) + -al 1
Explanation
When something is spectral, it has a ghostlike quality; it seems to vanish or disappear. You may have heard of ghosts referred to as "specters": that means that they're spectral. You may recognize the spect part of the adjective spectral from words like "spectacle," "spectrum," and "spectacular." All of these words share a similar meaning, which comes from the Latin verb specere, "look at, view." When something is spectral, think of it as something ghostly, something you can see but not touch — though it won't always mean that literally. For example, after a long illness, someone might have a spectral appearance.
Vocabulary lists containing spectral
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In particular, the findings demonstrate the importance of integral field spectroscopy, which allows astronomers to examine how light and its spectral signatures vary across different parts of a galaxy.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
To accomplish this, the researchers arranged optical components with repeating spectral responses in a sequence.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
Chuck Close crafted a spectral self-portrait that almost appears like you’re looking at it through 3-D glasses, so convincing is its illusion of depth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
This approach demonstrated that spectral data can reveal not only what a star contains and how hot it is, but also its true visual appearance.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Smoke drifted into the living room from the kitchen, a spectral finger beckoning me onward.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
