specter
Americannoun
-
a visible incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; ghost; phantom; apparition.
- Synonyms:
- shade
-
some object or source of terror or dread.
the specter of disease or famine.
Synonym Usage
See ghost.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of specter
First recorded 1595–1605; from Latin spectrum “appearance, form”; see spectrum
Explanation
A specter means a ghostly apparition, a ghost itself, or simply an idea that people find frightening. You can give yourself nightmares if you listen to too many stories about ghostly specters appearing in dark windows. Specters as fears are the kind that tend to loom on the edge of our minds, lying dormant for awhile, then raising their ugly heads. It can be hard to sleep if you think too much about the specter of a terrorist attack, or the specter that your blabbermouth cousin might spill the beans to your parents about the night you two took your dad's car without asking. The word can also be spelled spectre.
Vocabulary lists containing specter
The Grim Reader: Wicked Words of Grave Importance for Halloween
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
A Christmas Carol
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The specter of SpaceX is hanging over AT&T, Verizon and other telecommunications stocks as investors fear an Elon Musk-led industry shakeup.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Civil libertarians say the use of this tracking data raises the specter of mass surveillance on innocent people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
The massive run-up also has raised the specter of a summertime pullback, given thinner trading volumes and a lack of corporate headlines expected over June and July.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
The worsening economics of television have put pressure on networks to reconsider the value of late-night shows, although the specter of President Trump also hangs over Colbert’s departure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
Then there was dysentery, the specter of which was raised with every loose stool.
From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Donors respond to big claims and menacing specters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
But the fear cast by the specters of taxation and modernization that continually threaten Downton, including in “The Grand Finale,” are just as terrifying to its residents as any ax-wielding ghost.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025
Pouting “But I have Global Entry!” as she settles into the waiting room with her fellow specters is just the beginning of her afterlife antics.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2024
Early in “Pictures of Ghosts,” an exhilarating documentary about specters onscreen and off, the Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, pulls out a VHS tape.
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
“Phantasms specters ghouls visitants post-terrestrials apparitions, Lidewij. How can someone pursuing a postgraduate degree in American literature display such abominable English-language skills?”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Definitions 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.
