specter

spectre, menace

Possibilité inquiétante qu’un événement malheureux se produise.

En anglais simple : The worrying possibility that something bad will happen.

• The specter of war frightened everyone.
• Job cuts raised the specter of long-term unemployment.
• The specter of another drought hung over the region.

Comment l'utiliser : the specter of something (The report raised the specter of food shortages.)

Synonymes : threat, prospect

Expressions courantes : specter of war, raise the specter, specter of something

fantôme, spectre

Esprit d’une personne morte qui apparaît à quelqu’un.

En anglais simple : A ghost that appears to someone.

• A pale specter stood by the window.
• She believed a specter haunted the empty house.
• The specters vanished when the sun rose.

Synonymes : ghost, phantom, apparition

Expressions courantes : pale specter, ghostly specter, specter appears