as in haunting
of, relating to, or suggestive of a ghost
They spotted a spectral figure in the window of the old abandoned house.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spectral
McDowell says this is because the Airbus Pleiades satellite likely snapped the photo using different spectral bands.
—
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
Instead, Mu Cassiopeia A is a simple field star --- a yellow dwarf of the same spectral type as our own sun, but one that clocks in at an astonishing 12.7 billion years old.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Forthcoming observations of the planet scheduled with Hubble — and potentially even the James Webb Space Telescope — could help determine whether the signals seen so far are due to stellar spectral contamination or are actually caused by a planetary atmosphere, the study reports.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The paper discusses working with spectral images containing 31 distinct channels and even shows examples with as many as 81 spectral bands.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
Instead, Mu Cassiopeia A is a simple field star --- a yellow dwarf of the same spectral type as our own sun, but one that clocks in at an astonishing 12.7 billion years old.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Forthcoming observations of the planet scheduled with Hubble — and potentially even the James Webb Space Telescope — could help determine whether the signals seen so far are due to stellar spectral contamination or are actually caused by a planetary atmosphere, the study reports.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The paper discusses working with spectral images containing 31 distinct channels and even shows examples with as many as 81 spectral bands.
—ArsTechnica, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spectral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spectral
Adjective
-
The case is haunting, the mystery compelling, and the international threads gripping.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 May 2025
-
Cruise portrayed two of the most haunting characters of his career around the time Bale was watching him on the talk show circuit, as a megalomaniacal motivational speaker in Magnolia and a man pulled into a dangerous web of cultish goings-on in Eyes Wide Shut.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Pink Floyd stayed for extended periods, and the band used the eerie image of an island windmill on the cover of its soundtrack for More, Barbet Schroeder’s 1969 film about the hippie-heroin scene that was partly filmed on the island.—
Julia Chaplin,
Travel + Leisure,
13 May 2025
-
Lots of them, all making those eerie, human-sounding cries.—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
The 1988 original is a creepy comedy classic, and its supernatural sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, was also a hit at the box office, grossing more than $400 million worldwide.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
10 May 2025
-
Coraline features terrific voice performances by Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher, and a tone that perfectly rides the line between creepy and spellbinding.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
EW.com,
10 May 2025
Adjective
-
Last month, Mulaney hosted Letterman — one of his absurdist late night heroes — on an episode focused on the lack of information men have about their height as part of a series-long gag about the phantom problem.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
1 May 2025
-
The Promise of Lucrative Post-Sanctions Business Opportunities Dangle phantom investment deals to lure Western governments and companies – then pull the rug out.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, the ghostly structure isn't a real bone, but rather a galactic center filament, one of many massive structures created by radio waves threaded along magnetic fields at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
7 May 2025
-
Another team, led by astronomer Yimeng Tang at the University of California, Santa Cruz, compared FCC 224's properties to other galaxies that seemingly lack dark matter, focusing on two ghostly objects within the NGC 1052 group about 65 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In this instance there was a weird misunderstanding about which some of the people on the WGA Board chose to assume the worst.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
10 May 2025
-
My 16-year-old daughter and I have been searching for self-tanners that actually look natural, not orange, and don’t leave behind weird patches, streaks, or smells on our skin or clothes.—
Jacquelyn Smith,
Parents,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
The twins successfully pack the juke joint with customers who are intoxicated by Sammie’s supernatural skills with a guitar—Delta Slim describes Black music as a kind of magic, and in another striking scene, Sammie’s playing summons the spirits of the revelers’ ancestors and descendants.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2025
-
The film, set in 1930s Mississippi and layered with supernatural tension, required not just historical precision but spiritual and emotional resonance.—
Essence,
Essence,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spectral. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share