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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Some skeptics view the idea as a pipe dream in tough fiscal times when the federal government is spending billions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the war in Iran.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
-
When Koy was moving up the comedy ranks under his real name Joseph Glenn Herbert, the thought of calling himself a comedian felt like a pipe dream.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Here, the mirage dissolved just as quickly as it had been conjured.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
This does not disprove the studies on New York or New Jersey that showed the opposite, just as these do not prove that the phenomenon in California must be a mirage.—
Christopher Marquis,
Time,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Rather than a somewhat normal for Hollywood bakeoff, Paramount plans to kind of smush the two scripts together into one IP chimera.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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Look behind that curtain and see that the great and powerful Oz is a chimera.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
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
-
The idea that the Iranian regime’s policies might change for the better simply by appointing a more pliable leader, as in Venezuela, is a delusion.—
Elan Journo,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The darkly comedic drama confronts reality, privacy, and the delusions fueling our ever-changing world.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The theme-park-like aesthetic added to the unreality of Annie's situation, living mostly in solitary confinement for the years after the world ended.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
23 Feb. 2026
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Contributing to this air of unreality is Kari Kankaanpää’s production design, in which everything feels a little heightened and stylized.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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More than masturbatory daydreams, Vladimir inspires our heroine to write with abandon, ignoring professional and personal obligations in service to her muse.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
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Below, some of the finest, high-quality ruffled bedding around the web for creating the frothy bedscape of your daydreams.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ignis fatuus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignis%20fatuus. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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