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
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Recent Examples of phantasm
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
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
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
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
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
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm
Noun
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The video gives the illusion that the plane is cutting straight through the colorful arcs.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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That illusion was shattered Thursday when gambling and sports rigging schemes linked to the mob led to the arrests of 31 defendants, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, Damon Jones.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These days, Maurice is said to appear as an apparition on the 14th floor.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
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In Good Boy, Indy investigates strange noises and ghostly apparitions in the remote country house.—
Laura Martin,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Working with Jessica [Yu, director] is a dream.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
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Saft’s decorating dreams began early.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Families are turning dinner into an activity by using pizza dough or premade crusts to mold fun, spooky shapes, like ghosts, pumpkins, and bats, before topping them with sauce, cheese, and all their favorite fixings.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Oct. 2025
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The Chicago Tribune reported that the empty lot where Gacy's house once stood became a tourist attraction for true crime fans and ghost hunters in the 1980s.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Most aneurysms are symptom-free, but sudden severe headaches or vision changes can signal a life-threatening rupture.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Health,
25 Oct. 2025
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While Diagonal provided the large-scale structure, Marta championed the project from its inception, bringing a deep sensitivity to the narrative, supporting the tone, script development and artistic vision.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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When the surplus was exposed as a phantom, the state was stuck with a chronic income/outgo gap that persists.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
18 Oct. 2025
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When the surplus was exposed as a phantom, the state was stuck with a chronic income/outgo gap that persists.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Antipsychotic medications can reduce hallucinations and delusions, while therapies and rehabilitations can address specific concerns, like teaching cognitive techniques or enhancing social skills to interact with others.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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It is associated with hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impair daily functioning and can be disabling.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The cringing mortifications and unsettling unreality make the series a tough sit.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
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Longtime Vogue readers can likely recognize Steven Klein’s photographs at a glance, what with their glaring colors, arresting compositions, and beguiling sense of unreality.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phantasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasm. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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