specter

[ spek-ter ]

/ ˈspɛk tər /

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noun

a visible incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; ghost; phantom; apparition.

some object or source of terror or dread: the specter of disease or famine.

OTHER WORDS FOR specter

1 shade.

See synonyms for specter on Thesaurus.com

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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Also especially British, spec·tre .

Origin of specter

First recorded 1595–1605; from Latin spectrum “appearance, form”; see spectrum

synonym study for specter

1. See ghost.

Words nearby specter

spectate, spectator, spectator pump, spectator sport, Spectazole, specter, spectinomycin, Spector, spectra, Spectracef, spectral

How to use specter in a sentence

In 2019, as annual visitor numbers topped 3 million for the first time, locals loudly lamented crowding, traffic and the specter of paradise lost.
A Maui vacation in three acts|Alex Pulaski|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
The first night, my sims met friendly green specters, which are different from the normal ghost sims that were included in the base game.
I recreated ‘Phasmophobia’ in ‘The Sims 4’ with the game’s new paranormal pack|Elise Favis|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
Each time the specter arrived, he’d wordlessly express love and leave Evan with a sense of peace and calm.
Near the end of life, my hospice patient had a ghostly visitor who altered his view of the world|Scott Janssen|January 2, 2021|Washington Post
The UK and EU have reached a trade agreement, avoiding the specter of a no-deal Brexit and ending years of extreme economic uncertainty on both sides.
The Brexit deal is done but the damage to the UK economy is just getting started|Walter Frick|December 24, 2020|Quartz

He focused on the importance of strict election deadlines and raised the specter of “chaos” if the Democrats won this case.
How Wisconsin’s slowed-down mail could decide the election|Bobbie Johnson|October 27, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Despite his efforts to live in the present, he seemed haunted by the specter of his father.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Against the Grain By Michael Specter, The New Yorker Should you go gluten-free?
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Oct 27-Nov 2, 2014|William Boot|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The specter of wrongful convictions haunts the public officials involved.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The specter of this virus fills some of our most stalwart souls with unreasoning dread even when it is no immediate threat.
Ebola Nurses Are As Brave As Soldiers|Michael Daly|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If 80,000 is the population of Danbury, 60 million is the population of California and Texas combined: no small specter, that.
Kailash Satyarthi, Malala's Nobel Peace Prize Co-Winner, Is Fighting India's Child Slavery Epidemic|Dilip D’Souza|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The fatality of war was now hovering over them like a huge black specter.
The Civil War Through the Camera|Henry W. (Henry William) Elson
Lightbody, overturning chair and table, sprang up—recoiling as one recoils before an avenging specter.
Murder in Any Degree|Owen Johnson
Two of them, the latter and Moreau, saw the specter of French sovereignty beckoning them on.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane
In the midst of their furious, living activity, the specter of death had suddenly appeared.
The Substitute Prisoner|Max Marcin
Meanwhile a Northern politician brought on the specter of Napoleon for a different purpose.
The Day of the Confederacy|Nathaniel W. Stephenson