specter

American

[spek-ter] / ˈspɛk tər /

especially British, spectre

noun

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.

Related Words

See ghost.

Etymology

Origin of specter

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

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.

That’s when the specter of penalty shootouts past returned to haunt the Azzurri all at once.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Prices are up worldwide, with fertilizer plants closing in Bangladesh, raising the specter of an urea shortage.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

So, a week after asserting in this column that investors should prepare for a longer war, we must now confront the specter of a shorter war too.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The excitement over the possible product introduction comes as Apple and other smartphone makers must deal with the specter of rapid increases in prices for memory chips, a key component of smartphones.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

His eyes in their bulging sockets ticked up and down, trying to understand the specter of this huge white man.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023