phantasms

noun

variants also fantasms
plural of phantasm
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

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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
  1. illusions
  2. apparitions
  3. visions
  4. spirits
  5. dreams
  6. ghosts
  7. fantasies
  8. shadows
Noun
  • Neither of them, however, had any illusions about his prospects.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Because only in intense, rarefied states will our illusions finally drop away, like redundant scaffolding, freeing us to perceive life on a more visceral level.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 11 July 2026
Definition of illusions
Noun
  • That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026
Definition of apparitions
Noun
  • Jupiter in Leo will form an inspiring trine to Neptune retrograde in Aries while also opposing Pluto retrograde in Aquarius, creating a push-and-pull between our visions for the future and the inevitable transformation at play.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
  • America at 250 seems stuck in a miasma of rival populisms that offer irreconcilable visions for curing what ails our country.
    — Will Marshall, Washington Post, 18 July 2026
Definition of visions
Noun
  • To be clear, there have been agave spirits that have been made with mole before.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 July 2026
  • To preserve the fruit, Elio Carta’s grandmother, Anna Maria Perra, placed the berries in spirits already produced by the family, laying the foundation for what became the house’s historic myrtle recipe.
    — Layne Randolph, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of spirits
Noun
  • That’s what happens when a party and its voters stop seriously competing and instead indulge their passions and fever dreams.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
  • Its warble seemed the embodiment of dreams, that melted meeting point between memories and fantasy.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
Definition of dreams
Noun
  • Petrarch pictures the ghosts of Homer and Ennius together, and Homer’s ghost points out to Ennius a solitary figure, Francescus, working on a great epic poem, Africa.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • Within its pages, the reader becomes one of Dan Tana’s beloved ghosts.
    — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of ghosts
Noun
  • As a young adult, Paul worked at a lumber yard and had fantasies of working a straight job as an accountant.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 20 July 2026
  • The President’s fantasies can, at times, take on a lurid tone.
    — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 July 2026
Definition of fantasies
Noun
  • While humanity knows about superheroes like Spider-Man (hence, the events of the previous games), mutants are still largely living in the shadows.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 22 July 2026
  • Lancelot, noticeably weary, impassive, and preoccupied atop an equally weary black horse, follows the sorcerer, while Merlin leads him up the path into the realm of shadows, out of the frame to the left.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
Definition of shadows
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.

Browse Nearby Words

phantasmic
phantasms
phantom
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Cite this Entry

“Phantasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasms. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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