spectre Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. noun a ghostly appearing figure
   phantom; fantasm; apparition; phantasma; phantasm; specter.
   
   • we were unprepared for the apparition that confronted us
2. noun a mental representation of some haunting experience
   ghost; shade; spook; specter; wraith.
   
   • he looked like he had seen a ghost
   • it aroused specters from his past

WordNet