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.
Researchers found a significant negative relationship between redshift and spectral age.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
But poets in Europe could sense Homer’s spectral presence even when they had no direct access to him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
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
This red shift, observed in the spectral lines of distant galaxies and interpreted as a Doppler effect, is the key to cosmology.
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.
