spectral
5
7.5
- adjective
- /ˈspɛktrəl/
- Literature
:
espectral
- There was at least one other somewhat spectral presence who was a part of my daily Eastman House round.
- spectral tarsiers
- spectral presence
I thought those were ghost buses ferrying spectral passengers across the River Styx.
- I thought those were ghost buses ferrying spectral passengers across the River Styx.
- There's this spectral barbed wire curled around them, right?
- Other things being equal, he positively prefers the pale and spectral.
- Another host, he writes, spectral and shadowy, moving with and over them with silent tread in the view less air.
- They prevent this spectral intercourse, as he calls it.
Examples
-
I could catch a spark, even ignite here in the proximity of her spectral fire.
Fiction book (1996) -
Tall, steep walls of boulder-strewn granite rose on both sides of the valley, darkening it with spectral shadows.
Fiction book (1992) -
No sign of his horse now either, nothing but another spectral dust devil coming and going where he saw him last.
Fiction book (2000) -
It takes the form of an enormous spectral dog...
-
A classic symptom of spectral manifestation.
-
I thought those were ghost buses ferrying spectral passengers across the River Styx.
-
Some townsfolk claim to hear spectral voices in the wind, or distant weeping at the beginning of each new day.
Fiction book (1994) -
I pictured rows of impassive faces glowing a spectral blue in the light reflected from the screen.
Fiction book (1997) -
Guests have reported seeing spectral children playing in the hallway on the fourth floor.
-
Gasps of horror arose from the column as spectral shadows flitted from place to place about the starlit meadow.
Synonyms
96
3.2
Strange and frightening in a way that makes you feel nervous, like a ghost
91
5.1
A strange, frightening feeling as if ghosts are nearby
67
5.1
A place where ghosts appear or live
40
4.7
Having a pale, quiet look that feels scary
28
7.0
Appearing like a ghost
5
5.1
Hard to see or understand because it is not clear
1
6.5
Having a pale, thin, and quiet appearance that feels spooky
1
9.9
Looking like a ghost and seeming unreal
1
9.8
Light and delicate with a feeling of something not physical
1
9.9
Having the look or feel of a ghost
1
9.9
Having a thin, ghostlike appearance
1
8.5
That makes you shiver with fear
Appears like a ghost, not solid or easy to see
Having a quality like a dream or a ghost that seems unreal
Being unreal and like a dream
Strange and frightening in a way that seems supernatural
Appears dark and faint, like a shape with unclear edges
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A color seen in a rainbow that comes from one light wave, not a mix of colors
How Ghostly
Surface Forms
Morphology
spectral = specter (semi-transparent) = spectr + al
The form is straightforwardly built from specter plus -al, but the ghostly sense is somewhat conventionalized and less compositional than the spectrum-related sense.
Etymology
Spectral is also linked to the English word specter, a common word for a ghost, and both come from the root spec- meaning 'to look'. So spectral can mean 'ghostly' or 'like a spirit', which is why it describes pale, eerie things.