as in pipe dream
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Recent Examples of ignis fatuus
Unveiling ignis fatuus: Microlightning between microbubbles.
—
Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Several sources say ignis fatuus, a spark of swamp gas, is the likely cause of the strange light.
—Fox News, 3 Mar. 2023
The story also helped explain ignis fatuus, a natural phenomenon that occurs in marshlands and bogs—such as those in Ireland’s countryside—producing flickering lights as gases from decomposing organic matter combust.
—National Geographic, 27 Oct. 2020
Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Several sources say ignis fatuus, a spark of swamp gas, is the likely cause of the strange light.
—Fox News, 3 Mar. 2023
The story also helped explain ignis fatuus, a natural phenomenon that occurs in marshlands and bogs—such as those in Ireland’s countryside—producing flickering lights as gases from decomposing organic matter combust.
—National Geographic, 27 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignis fatuus
Noun
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What was once thought of as a pipe dream for hockey fans in South Florida is about to finally become reality.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
1 Jan. 2026
-
Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the franchise under Jones, would seemingly be an ideal candidate for Jones to eschew some or all of his GM duties off on, but there’s little evidence that’s ever been more than a pipe dream for Cowboys fans.—
SportsDay Staff,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Any prospect of Republicans having a serious chance of keeping the Old Dominion this year was, at best, a mirage that dissipated months ago.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Jacob Murphy’s fourth-minute goal doubled their away tally in league football, but a flashing, dashing quicksilver move which saw Bruno Guimaraes spread the ball wide and the winger step inside and then outside of El Hadji Malick Diouf before shooting beyond Alphonse Areola was a mirage.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Animal Legal Defense Fund, an animal advocacy organization, argued that if such chimeras gained humanlike awareness, they should be treated as human research subjects.—
Monika Piotrowska,
The Conversation,
8 Dec. 2025
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The chimera of a two-state solution still has widespread backing within Washington’s traditional foreign policy establishment.—
Ray Takeyh,
Foreign Affairs,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
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As the guitar-strumming will-o'-the-wisp Maria von Trapp, Julie Andrews taught us a few of her favorite things.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke said paralytic dementia symptoms can include delusions along with memory and language problems.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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But in this version, set in a contemporary world resembling our own, where politics is a spectacle, the main character’s delusions revolve around television.—
Erin Somers,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
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But Ma has been deftly drawn as a canny realist and problem solver—not the kind of person to indulge in daydreams.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
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But for business and organizational leaders, this theme doesn’t need to be the stuff of daydreams.—
Jed Brewer,
Rolling Stone,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ignis fatuus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignis%20fatuus. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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