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.
But once she’s confronted by spectral figures in her nightmares, she starts to wonder if something supernatural is going on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The telescope "detected spectral lines," the observatory said, what it called "chemical fingerprints" of "sodium and lithium gas in the impact plume lasting for 5-10 minutes after impact."
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
After a moment, he passed the device to me, and ahead, at great distance, I saw three spectral outlines tumbling around on a nearby peak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
The second was the proton spectral index, which affects how proton energies are distributed and whether they can reach extremely high energies.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026
Beyond the infrared is the vast spectral region of the radio waves.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
