variants
also fantasm
1
as in illusion
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
frightened by the phantasms of his own making
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in apparition
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
believed that she'd seen the phantasm of her father on the anniversary of his death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of phantasm
But is the gender phantasm as crucial to the global far right as Butler claims?
—
Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Likewise, Poe’s devilish ambiguity, his production of phantasms both real and imagined, undergirds James’s own ventures into the genre.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2023
Those are all real things, not the phantasms of a junk-food loving fourth-grader’s fever dreams.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023
And sometimes the phantasms of artificial intelligence can prompt, in the prompter, genuine emotion.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Likewise, Poe’s devilish ambiguity, his production of phantasms both real and imagined, undergirds James’s own ventures into the genre.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2023
Those are all real things, not the phantasms of a junk-food loving fourth-grader’s fever dreams.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023
And sometimes the phantasms of artificial intelligence can prompt, in the prompter, genuine emotion.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm
Noun
-
And the safety of inaction is an illusion.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Lea Haddad's luscious, curly mane no doubt employs some invisible layers to lighten the load, but the overall appearance gives the illusion of the same sharp, heavy-ended finish created by blunt cuts.—
Krista Carter,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Though the governor left little behind to solve the ultimate mystery — where the staircase led —a rare apparition surfaced from Roman Germany, preserved for 2,000 years due to the Romans’ advanced building techniques.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
-
And just as the questions are sinking into our souls, some mist starts to rise up from the floorboards of Tower 12 and turn itself into something like a human form, a specter, an apparition, a boy made real.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The flavors are just as dazzling as the visuals, with everything from classic fish balls and siu mai to snake soup and mock shark's fin, served up by food stalls that make Temple Street a foodie's dream.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
-
But that dream died along with her husband.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Elytra Dark will serve as a transfer vehicle to bring the Blue ghost lander to the moon.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Feb. 2026
-
It was originally supposed to be a story with more ghosts and such, but the real-world system the film presents was horror enough.—
Blake Simons,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
And now masked Proud Boys can cosplay their paramilitary fantasies, shatter our Constitutional rights, and disappear humans while the federal government flippantly threatens its citizens with the Insurrection Act and Aliens Enemies Act.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
-
While the invading Martians and their tall, terrifying, laser-toting tripods are undeniably fantasy, the fact that they were undone by Earth’s disease-causing microbes is not.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The most widespread Games in history created distinct pockets of Olympic spirit separated by hours on trains and miles of winding mountain roads.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
And in that spirit, three strong disagreements with these arguments.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
What began as a food‑truck daydream shared by two longtime friends has become one of Iowa’s most beloved culinary success stories, one rooted in nostalgia and family.—
Susan Stapleton,
Des Moines Register,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Shortly after, the book began to take shape, with new elements often arriving in vivid daydreams and eerie nightmares.—
Charlie Vargas,
Oc Register,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The Stygiomedusa gigantea, commonly known as the giant phantom jelly, was filmed at 250 meters below the surface.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Old Town The belltower looms like a phantom.—
Chen Yuhong,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phantasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasm. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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