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phantasmagoric

adjective

variants or phantasmagorical
Definition of phantasmagoricnext
as in hallucinatory

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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 phantasmagoric Step into the wardrobe and enter Greta Gerwig’s phantasmagorical emporium of glam-rock excess. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026 Over the course of one phantasmagoric evening, Robin witnesses events that prefigure the Revolutionary War. — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026 The action is punctuated by flash-frame collages that bring earlier and later observations together in a tumble of associations and hint at the drama’s mystical, phantasmagorical essence. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026 Today, the public district collection comprises some 35 large-scale murals, sculptures and installations, including the phantasmagoric exterior of its Museum Garage. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 Nov. 2025 The Land of Spooks is a phantasmagorical blend of twisting gothic spires, impossible land formations, and disconcerting expressionist proportions. — Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2025 As the two keepers' accelerating madness batters their already uneasy relationship, the film becomes a phantasmagorical endurance test, with the two antagonistic leads hurling themselves against their tight confinement. — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasmagoric
  1. hallucinatory
  2. surreal
  3. illusory
  4. imaginary
  5. fictional
  6. phantasmal
  7. fictitious
  8. chimerical
Adjective
  • In Bettmann Panopticon, which opened to the public in 1964 at the School of Visual Arts Visual Arts Gallery, Max and Daly had taken images from the archive and mirrored them for a hallucinatory effect.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The year before, Khrzhanovsky had won a Tiger Award at Rotterdam for his first feature, the hallucinatory drama 4.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of hallucinatory
Adjective
  • A bit Kubrick, a bit BLACK MIRROR but also feels original — a surreal, weird, funny study on (human) nature and storytelling.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The next night, the Dead brought the Bangles onstage, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain, to sing along and dance — a truly surreal duet.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of surreal
Adjective
  • In both races, polls signaled double-digit leads that proved illusory when votes were counted.
    — W. Joseph Campbell, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • As a result, any illusory effects would likely be lost on a viewer.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of illusory
Adjective
  • Most writers don’t have those constraints, real or imaginary.
    — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Eleven gullible idiots were talked into acquitting because of an imaginary female ailment.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • Although this hypothetical technology was long considered to be exclusively a fictional idea, a growing number of physicists have begun to wonder if warp drives might really be possible, and if not in a practical sense, at least on paper.
    — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This fictional tale based on real events looks at the impact of civil war on the country, just as Yemen is on the edge of a possible return to the conflict that killed 150,000 and brought many others close to famine.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictional
Adjective
  • The Mellotron occupies a phantasmal space in our pop culture consciousness.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
  • Beyond that, all apparent structures are merely phantasmal.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 27 Oct. 2025
Definition of phantasmal
Adjective
  • As the puzzle pieces shift slowly into place, these revelations are jaw-dropping (once again, in their highly fictitious context), leading to a journalistic urgency.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Despite its admittedly fictitious origins, Juliet’s House is one of the most popular sites in Verona.
    — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Adjective
  • Yet, for millions living with untreatable neurological conditions, these chimeric rodents represent a crucial step forward — bringing the dark box of the human brain into the light.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In a study published Wednesday in Nature, the Stanford team reported finding types of human cells inside the brains of 3-month-old chimeric mouse pups that are very hard to obtain in a dish.
    — Megan Molteni, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of chimerical

Browse Nearby Words

phantasmagorias
phantasmagoric
phantasmal
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Cite this Entry

“Phantasmagoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasmagoric. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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