spectre
Britishnoun
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a ghost; phantom; apparition
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a mental image of something unpleasant or menacing
the spectre of redundancy
Etymology
Origin of spectre
C17: from Latin spectrum, from specere to look at
Explanation
A spectre is a ghost or spirit. If you see a spectre of the previous owners in your new house, get out quick! A spectre can also be a thought that haunts you. The word spectre (or specter) has to do with being haunted — it can be something that literally haunts you, like the ghost of your Aunt Sally who bangs the windows every night. You can also say that a reminder of something painful is a spectre. A spectre can also be a fear of something dreadful happening in the future, like the spectre of a second ice age. Spectre is generally the British spelling, while Americans prefer specter.
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.
The Spectre is also electric—in the case of the top-spec Black Badge version, extremely electric, with 650 hp to answer the most whispered summons with splendid excess.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
Given its release date, the song would have been in contention for Daniel Craig's fourth outing as 007, Spectre.
From BBC • May 24, 2024
“A left-handed Spectre cannot interlock with its right-handed mirror image,” said Dr. Kaplan.
From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023
Q: I have had my HP Spectre x360 Convertible laptop for more than three years.
From Seattle Times • May 6, 2023
A thought struck Franz that the Spectre wanted something; and a rapid combination of ideas suggested, that perhaps he was expecting the very service he himself had just performed.
From Translations from the German (Vol 3 of 3) Tales by Musaeus, Tieck, Richter by Carlyle, Thomas
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.
