If you describe someone or something as spectral, you mean that they look like a ghost.
[literary]
She is compelling, spectral, fascinating, an unforgettably unique performer.
...the spectral quality of the light.
Synonyms: ghostly, unearthly, eerie, supernatural More Synonyms of spectral
spectral in British English
(ˈspɛktrəl)
adjective
1.
of or like a spectre
2.
of or relating to a spectrum
spectral colours
3. physics
(of a physical quantity) relating to a single wavelength of radiation
spectral luminous efficiency
Derived forms
spectrality (spɛkˈtrælɪtɪ) or spectralness (ˈspectralness)
noun
spectrally (ˈspectrally)
adverb
spectral in American English
(ˈspɛktrəl)
adjective
1.
of, having the nature of, or like a specter; phantom; ghostly
2.
of or caused by a spectrum or spectra
Derived forms
spectrality (specˈtrality) (spɛkˈtræləti)
noun or ˈspectralness
spectrally (ˈspectrally)
adverb
Word origin
< specter + -al
Examples of 'spectral' in a sentence
spectral
They have such a spectral presence.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It was the first time that anyone in 17 shootings had caught hold of the spectral figure.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This love letter to a building is fitfully imbued with the spectral presence of the people who have poured their energy into it.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Its spectral presence looms over the city, its pointed top a needle to the bubble.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Making this vile figure a spectral presence was its own chilling metaphor, but also crucial for a film that gave his victims priority.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A breathtaking collection of spectral songs awash with experimental electronica, it certainly deserves to be there.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
You can't leave your grandson alone in the car in broad daylight for five minutes without spectral figures appearing and beckoning him into a graveyard.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In two concerts the London Sinfonietta has been exploring spectral music.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They all have a faintly pastel flavour, ghostly trace tastes; spectral reminders of something that might once have lived in the bottle.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
(adjective)
the spectral quality of the light
Synonyms
ghostly
The moon shed a ghostly light on the fields.
unearthly
The sound was so serene that it seemed unearthly.
eerie
An eerie silence settled over the forest.
supernatural
evil spirits who looked like humans and possessed supernatural powers
weird
I had such a weird dream last night.
phantom
shadowy
the shadowy shape of a big barge loaded with logs
uncanny
I had this uncanny feeling that Alice was warning me.
spooky (informal)
The whole place had a slightly spooky atmosphere.
insubstantial
incorporeal
wraithlike
Additional synonyms
in the sense of eerie
Definition
strange and frightening
An eerie silence settled over the forest.
Synonyms
uncanny,
strange,
frightening,
ghostly,
weird,
mysterious,
scary (informal),
sinister,
uneasy,
fearful,
awesome,
unearthly,
supernatural,
unnatural,
spooky (informal),
creepy (informal),
spectral,
eldritch (poetic),
preternatural
in the sense of shadowy
Definition
faint or dark like a shadow
the shadowy shape of a big barge loaded with logs
Synonyms
vague,
indistinct,
faint,
ghostly,
obscure,
dim,
phantom,
imaginary,
unreal,
intangible,
illusory,
spectral,
undefined,
nebulous,
dreamlike,
impalpable (formal),
unsubstantial,
wraithlike
in the sense of spooky
The whole place had a slightly spooky atmosphere.
Synonyms
eerie,
frightening,
chilling,
ghostly,
weird,
mysterious,
scary (informal),
unearthly,
supernatural,
uncanny,
creepy (informal),
spine-chilling
Nearby words of
spectral
spectacles
spectacular
spectator
spectral
spectre
spectrum
speculate
Synonyms of 'spectral'
spectral
Explore 'spectral' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of supernatural
Definition
of or relating to things that cannot be explained by science, such as clairvoyance, ghosts, etc.
evil spirits who looked like humans and possessed supernatural powers
Synonyms
paranormal,
mysterious,
unearthly,
uncanny,
dark,
hidden,
ghostly,
psychic,
phantom,
abnormal,
mystic,
miraculous,
unnatural,
occult,
spectral,
preternatural,
supranatural
in the sense of uncanny
Definition
weird or mysterious
I had this uncanny feeling that Alice was warning me.