variants
also fantasm
1
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
2
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
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Recent Examples of phantasm
And sometimes the phantasms of artificial intelligence can prompt, in the prompter, genuine emotion.
—
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021
Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states.
—Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021
The album, produced by pop artisan Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney), is a conceptual rumination on these apocalyptic times, from war to salvation with a sprinkle of biblical phantasm.
—Steven J. Horowitz, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2023
But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021
Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states.
—Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021
The album, produced by pop artisan Greg Kurstin (Adele, Paul McCartney), is a conceptual rumination on these apocalyptic times, from war to salvation with a sprinkle of biblical phantasm.
—Steven J. Horowitz, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2021
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm
Noun
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Advertisement The difference in hurricane activity between the two oceans is actually more climatological illusion than fact.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Torches held by ancient hands would have given the tableau the illusion of movement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Ahead of the 500-year anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s apparition in Tepeyac, Mexico, the sculpture is embarking on a worldwide tour, with visits scheduled to Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, among other places.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
-
In Lockwood’s world, the apparition of a saint is not strictly strange.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Everyone who shows up to his office tries to make one of his dreams come true.—
Debbie Day,
EW.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This was the cleanest operation the Browns displayed since late in the 2023 season when Joe Flacco’s fever dream carried the Browns to the playoffs.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Video footage recorded by their owner Macie Lamb shows two pups, Ace and Tango growling at a decorative object that resembles a small ceramic dog wearing a ghost costume while holding a pumpkin in its mouth.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
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But March’s family, which has seen their factory turned upside down by the ghost of a former employee, rejects the relationship.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To bring this vision to life, Everton turned to Populous, the sports and entertainment design firm whose extensive back catalogue includes the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley and The Sphere in Las Vegas.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Working with Brian Rose, who spent the last five years trying to recreate the film with charcoal drawings, physical models of the sets, and researching storyboards and screenplay drafts, Showrunner will spend next two years to get as close as possible to Welles’ vision.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Science and magic, love, humour and phantoms.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
13 Aug. 2025
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Gesturing toward cinema’s roots in 19th-century phantom rides and panoramas, FELT finds a dynamic new form for the sensory experience of space and movement.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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An overly tired new mother shared how postpartum delusion left her confusing her newborn with her pet in a viral video.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
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On the other hand, engaging in serious talk about a delusion and intensifying the delusion ought to be a no-go for the AI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In rare cases, sleepers gain insight into the unreality of their dreams from within the dream itself.—
Rachel Barr,
Big Think,
20 Aug. 2025
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For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.—
Ryan Gaur,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phantasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasm. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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