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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At this point, making the playoffs outright is a pipe dream for the Trail Blazers.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But again, Messi to MLS was once a pipe dream.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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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Look behind that curtain and see that the great and powerful Oz is a chimera.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
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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
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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Mania of the week Sophomania — a delusion of having superior intelligence or being exceptionally wise.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Hence my delight in the brief delusion of my own banning.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 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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Rather than stressing over social niceties, sitting in ornate carriages and snacking on cream cakes, Sophie daydreams while scrubbing floors and delivering tea.—
Madeline Hirsch,
InStyle,
26 Feb. 2026
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What began as a food‑truck daydream shared by two longtime friends has become one of Iowa’s most beloved culinary success stories, one rooted in nostalgia and family.—
Susan Stapleton,
Des Moines Register,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ignis fatuus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignis%20fatuus. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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