spectral
adjective
spec·tral
ˈspek-trəl 
1
2
: of, relating to, or made by a spectrum
especially
: relating to or derived from the electromagnetic spectrum of visible light
Surfaces can differ in the proportion of incident light they reflect (dark ones reflect less than light ones) and in the spectral composition of the light they reflect. —
Principles Of Neural Science
Principles Of Neural Science Their examination supported the opinion that the stone was mined in India and cut in London. They also found that the spectral characteristics overlap those of known treated green diamonds. —Lapidary Journal
Lapidary Journal Examples of spectral in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s something earthy about Rogers’s presence (she was brought up in rural Maryland, and played the harp and the banjo as a teen-ager), yet the song’s production is spectral, icy, electronic.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The combination of imaging and spectral analysis provided by this system offers a wealth of information on the composition and function of the eye fundus.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The researchers put liquid water containing S. alaskensis in a vacuum, and used a laser and spectral analysis to see whether the cellular material was detectable.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Sample Alchemy takes a single sample as input and turns it into an instrument using your choice of granular, additive, or spectral synthesis, up to four individual sound sources, and five playback options (Classic, Loop, Bow, Scrub, and Arp).
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Wasn’t the first movie’s giant version a projection of Ray’s imagination and not an actual spectral embodiment?
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
But the key to their method, Wang notes, involves those spinning metasurfaces, where the spinning operation enables the imaging system to maximize the most relevant spectral and thermal information sent through to the sensor.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2024
There's a fun couch co-op mode where a second player controls a spectral, gooey version of Luigi to help solve puzzles.
—Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
The atmosphere also washes out the spectral features of the cloud because of an effect known as pressure broadening.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024
Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The combination of imaging and spectral analysis provided by this system offers a wealth of information on the composition and function of the eye fundus.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
The researchers put liquid water containing S. alaskensis in a vacuum, and used a laser and spectral analysis to see whether the cellular material was detectable.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Sample Alchemy takes a single sample as input and turns it into an instrument using your choice of granular, additive, or spectral synthesis, up to four individual sound sources, and five playback options (Classic, Loop, Bow, Scrub, and Arp).
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Wasn’t the first movie’s giant version a projection of Ray’s imagination and not an actual spectral embodiment?
—Ty Burr, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
But the key to their method, Wang notes, involves those spinning metasurfaces, where the spinning operation enables the imaging system to maximize the most relevant spectral and thermal information sent through to the sensor.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2024
There's a fun couch co-op mode where a second player controls a spectral, gooey version of Luigi to help solve puzzles.
—Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
The atmosphere also washes out the spectral features of the cloud because of an effect known as pressure broadening.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spectral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near spectral
Cite this Entry
“Spectral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spectral. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spectral
adjective
spec·tral
ˈspek-trəl
1
: of, relating to, or suggesting a specter : ghostly
2
: of, relating to, or made by a spectrum
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