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
-
Building alternative pipelines to relieve a global chokepoint is no pipe dream.—
John Spencer,
Washington Post,
25 Mar. 2026
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Years back, a Tentsile tent light enough for unencumbered backpacking or bikepacking seemed little more than a pipe dream.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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No road trip is required; this theme park has been a desert mirage for almost 50 years and is packed with rides like the popular Desert Storm.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As a result, the franchise is caught between the competing impulses to preserve its legacy as a romantic ideal and to modernize itself for an audience that no longer believes in that mirage — resulting, most recently, in a casting that was doomed to fail on all fronts.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 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 other path is pressing on in your delusions, hoping you will eventually be vindicated.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Several reports find psychosis among those who are addicted and could result in hallucinations, delusions and confusion.—
Josh Kelly,
Oklahoman,
26 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 1 Apr. 2026.
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