PHANTASM Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

phantasm

noun

ˈfan-ˌta-zəm

variants also fantasm

Definition of phantasm

as in illusion

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

as in apparition

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

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.

Recent Examples of phantasm No one had meant more to Miami during the past three years, devoting themselves to painstakingly lifting a program plump with the phantasm of a reign long past. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026 In times of increasing cynicism and apathy in the zeitgeist, this phantasm extravaganza — at once humorously deadpan in its playful tableaus and poignantly sincere at its emotional core — feels like a breath of fresh air. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 2025 But is the gender phantasm as crucial to the global far right as Butler claims? — Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024 Likewise, Poe’s devilish ambiguity, his production of phantasms both real and imagined, undergirds James’s own ventures into the genre. — Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2023 See All Example Sentences for phantasm

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm

Noun

Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Growing up in Wyoming’s rugged realities left no illusion that humans are solely in control.

— Amelia Rose Barlow, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of illusion

Noun

The spacecraft encounters transformed a disappointing naked-eye apparition into a landmark scientific campaign.

— Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
One is Eye Witness (1987), a wintry landscape of two figures who seem to look away from an apparition of sorts; a skyscraper in the distance bears a resemblance to the Empire State Building.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of apparition

Noun

In a matter of weeks, when the midterm results are tallied and the next campaign begins, Democrats with presidential dreams know the question will be coming.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
In his dreams, Jose Fiscal Belli is still living an all-American life with his all-American family.

— Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of dream

Noun

From glittering ghosts, ghastly goblins and wicked witches to wily warlocks, fashion can inspire any Halloween transformation.

— Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026
There were earlier versions of this story that were openly mocking of Kip, versions that threw Leo under the bus for being too sly; versions that were too overtly political; versions with ghosts that didn’t need to be there, and so on.

— Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of ghost

Noun

The two of them crafted a business plan for a bookstore, one that wouldn’t look out of place in a sword and sorcery fantasy novel, with a hidden speakeasy.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
From this spirited competition emerged two progenitors of modern horror, science fiction, and fantasy.

— Maria Papadouris, JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of fantasy

Noun

This helps warm up the imagination; daydreams, nightmares are easy ways in.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of daydream

Noun

Fadal brought up her own phantom smells during a recent podcast conversation with Andrea Donsky, a nutritionist who’s written about and conducted research on this symptom.

— Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
Both phantoms were packed with thousands of dosimeters, tracking radiation dose over specific phases of the flight rather than just a cumulative total.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026