Origin: Latin suffix -al
Spectral has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
resembling or characteristic of a phantom
"a ghostly face at the window"
"a phantasmal presence in the room"
"spectral emanations"
"spiritual tappings at a seance"
Of, or pertaining to, spectres; ghostly.
"The spectral figure drifted silently through the foggy cemetery at night."
In plain English: Spectral means related to ghosts or spirits, often appearing as if they are made of light and sound rather than solid matter.
"The spectral light from the moon illuminated his ghostly face in the dark forest."
Usage: Use spectral when something appears ghostly, faint, or shimmering like light from the spirit world rather than describing literal ghosts themselves. This adjective often describes pale colors in nature, such as a spectral moonlight or a spectral image on water.
Spectral comes from the word spectre with the addition of the suffix -al. It entered English to describe something related to a ghost or apparition.