variants
also fantasms
1
as in illusions
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 apparitions
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasms
Noun
-
Masks are slipping and illusions are fading.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026 -
The United States, searching for self-definition but loath to lose its illusions—its innocence—needed all of this as a counterpoint.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The museum site has been a paranormal hotbed for decades, with sightings of apparitions, security camera footage capturing items flying off shelves, as well as experiences from staff members and visitors.—
Gregory Harutunian,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Their shared trip gradually turns into a confrontation with their own lives, relationships and visions of the future.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
6 May 2026
-
There are many competing visions of how technology and military strategy should be combined in the Gulf’s waters, some of which cross into the bizarre.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Vitello said postgame that Koss’ helmet cracked as a result of the bean ball, but Koss was in good spirits after the game.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
-
Right now, spirits are high because the overall box office is trending 16% ahead of last year, according to Comscore.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
Tess saved four lives through organ donation, and scholarships in her honor are now helping young people chase their own dreams.—
Wakisha Bailey,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Whatever the reason, the rest of the day, ghosts of my former selves appeared around every sandy corner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
As lawmakers consider helping the Bears build a new stadium, the ghosts of past stadium deals still haunt the present.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The sophisticated set by ace production designer David Gropman enables Altman’s perpetually moving and zooming camera to drift in and out of two-way mirrors that depict memories and fantasies with both immediacy and a gauzy nostalgia.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
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But what Danielson says was intended as a symbolic protest escalated dramatically amid paranoid fantasies, prosaic miscommunications, and the false report of a gun.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jules’ colorful shadows - Season 1, Episode 5 One of the most artistic makeup looks from season 1, Jules’ (Hunter Schafer) colorful eyelids look a bit like an abstract painting.—
Hannah Kerns,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
-
Hong Kong — China’s top spy agency has come out of the shadows to warn that its young people are being duped by foreign forces into shirking hard work and prioritizing their individual emotions at the expense of national development.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Phantasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasms. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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