Meaning & use
specter
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Meanings
nouncountable
A ghost or ghostly figure that appears to people.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a specter or specters.
Patterns
- a specter of someone
- a specter appears/haunts
The old castle is said to be haunted by a specter in a white dress.
Villagers claimed to see a specter walking along the cliff at night.
nouncountablefigurative
Something feared that seems to threaten or worry people from the background.
Grammar: Often used in the pattern the specter of something.
Patterns
- the specter of something
- raise the specter of something
The specter of unemployment hung over the factory town.
The report raised the specter of a serious economic downturn.
Word forms
| plural | specters |
|---|
Common combinations
- the specter of war
- The specter of war returned to the region after the talks failed.
- raise the specter of
- The new law raised the specter of widespread protests.
- a ghostly specter
- A ghostly specter drifted through the abandoned house.
- haunted by a specter
- He felt haunted by the specter of his past mistakes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ghost
- The everyday word for a dead person's spirit; specter is more literary and often suggests something frightening.
- phantom
- Similar to specter but can also mean an illusion; specter is more commonly used for a threatening presence.
- apparition
- A formal word for a ghostly sight; specter is often used figuratively for a looming threat.
Word family
- spectral adjective
- Relating to ghosts or ghostly things.
Commonly confused: specter or spectator? specter or scepter?
specter vs spectator
A person who watches an event; specter is a ghost or threat.
specter vs scepter
A decorated rod held by a ruler; specter is a ghost or threat.
Practice
The possibility of layoffs raised the ___ of job losses across the industry.
Choose one answer.
Specter fits because it means a threatening possibility that seems to loom. Spectator is a person who watches, scepter is a ruler's rod, and spectrum is a range, so none of those fit the threat meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “specter”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.