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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of phantasm
And sometimes the phantasms of artificial intelligence can prompt, in the prompter, genuine emotion.
—
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021
Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states.
—Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021
The album, produced by pop artisan Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney), is a conceptual rumination on these apocalyptic times, from war to salvation with a sprinkle of biblical phantasm.
—Steven J. Horowitz, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021
Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states.
—Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021
The album, produced by pop artisan Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney), is a conceptual rumination on these apocalyptic times, from war to salvation with a sprinkle of biblical phantasm.
—Steven J. Horowitz, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm
Noun
-
But here’s the thing: Quantity isn’t the problem—illusion is.—
Sabeer Nelliparamban,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Bistro lighting hung overhead to give the illusion of a starry night sky.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
People.com,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
Venus reaches its point of greatest western elongation on June 1, at which time the dazzling 'morning star' will be at its most distant point from the sun in Earth's sky during its pre-dawn apparition.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
-
The more apparitions that arrive, the more the Delta blues mashes up with hip-hop, rock, and other styles.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Ps ur avocado toast is on the long list of reasons why ur my dream wife.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
-
There are still a handful of dream sequences and surreal interludes that seem to want to underscore the show’s deep psychological curiosity, and its unwillingness to be an easy watch.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Even in areas where plaintiffs theoretically have power—say, in mass tort litigation—Gatsby’s ghost lingers.—
Aron Solomon
June 24,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
-
On the big screen, he's taken on a wide range of roles, from the titular antihero in Hellboy (2019) and a not-so-jolly Santa Claus in Violent Night (2022) to a friendly ghost dad in We Have a Ghost (2023) and a former race car driver in Gran Turismo (2023).—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
Just to the south, there is a vision for a regional transportation center, plus apartments on the site of the decaying One Talcott Plaza.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2025
-
Although Disney could have made Underworld, as well as Lucas' vision of the Sequel Trilogy, time has shown us the company took a different path with the franchise.—
Daryl Baxter,
Space.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
At least until quarter to 2, when Lindsay Lohan whorls through the door like a raspy chaos phantom.—
Jeff Weiss,
HollywoodReporter,
12 June 2025
-
But does Chuck let this phantom haunt him into adulthood?—
Ashley Boucher,
EW.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Researchers noted the positive effects of ecstatic epilepsy and synthesized fifty-three theoretical models of delusion.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
21 June 2025
-
The series focuses on the dynamics of one Danish family and the stripping away of their—and our—delusions about climate change, status, exile, and separation.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.—
Ryan Gaur,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
-
The title is the latest from Naughty Dog, a studio with a reputation for games that aspire to the aesthetics and prestige of cinema, with memorable characters that behave realistically despite the unreality of video games.—
Joshua Rivera,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phantasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasm. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share