Specter Meaning
/ˈspɛktɚ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA ghostly apparition, a phantom.
nounA threatening mental image; an unpleasant prospect
Sentence Examples
A specter is haunting Europe — the specter of communism.
A specter is haunting Tatoeba— the specter of Tom.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of unemployment terrified the workers after the factory closure announcement.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of inflation still hangs over the economy, causing concern for many middle-class families.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French spectre, from Latin spectrum (“appearance, apparition”). Doublet of spectrum.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Nevertheleſſe, they which ſhould ſee thoſe Iſles thus to moove in this manner, not knowing before that the ſame were naturall: they would entertaine many and diverſe apprehenſions in their fantaſie, & would imagine that they ſawe a thing very ſtrange and prodigious, and ſuch as did very neere approach to the nature of ſome Specter [translating spectre] and viſion."
— 1605, Peter de Loier [i.e., Pierre Le Loyer], translated by [Zachary Jones], “The many things being meerely Naturall are taken by the Sight or Hearing being deceived, for Specters and things prodigious”, in A Treatise of Specters or Straunge Sights, Visions and Apparitions Appearing Sensibly vnto Men. […], London: […] Val[entine] S[immes] for Mathew Lownes, →OCLC, folio 62, verso:
"A specter is haunting Europe — the specter of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this specter: Pope and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies."
— 1848, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, translated by Samuel Moore, The Communist Manifesto:
"Already, the specter of higher interest rates was causing the housing market to seize up."
— 2022 September 27, Mark Landler, “Truss Takes a Bold Economic Gamble. Will It Sink Her Government?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 19 Dec 2022:
"Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for appointing to his cabinet a former lawyer who served jail time, raising the spectre of more political upheaval and a reset of the governing alliance."
— 2024 August 14, “Thai court removes PM Srettha Thavisin from office over cabinet appointment”, in France 24, archived from the original on 01 Jul 2025:
"Instead of three co-equal branches acting as a check on each other, power has become increasingly concentrated over the years in the White House – a trend that is now being supercharged under Mr. Trump in ways that, to critics, raise the specter of authoritarianism."
— 2025 February 25, Linda Feldmann, “How Trump skirts checks and balances unlike any modern-day US president”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2025:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of unemployment terrified the workers after the factory closure announcement.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of inflation still hangs over the economy, causing concern for many middle-class families.