phantasmal

adjective

Definition of phantasmalnext
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination phantasmal fears that have prevented her from living a normal life

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 phantasmal 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, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasmal
  1. imaginary
  2. fictional
  3. mythical
  4. fictitious
  5. imaginal
  6. imagined
Adjective
  • Where teams already afforded every advantage are now given the gift of imaginary time.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The equinox occurs when the sun’s center passes through the imaginary line from the north to the south.
    — Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • In the footage, players follow the story of Jason and Lucia, a couple living in the fictional Vice City, who are picking up drugs, and their mission is thwarted by the police, who begin to raid the place.
    — Moises Mendez II, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Claire Foy will also star in the film, playing a fictional reporter of The Sun that acts as a composite of various female reporters of the time period.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictional
Adjective
  • Only Frenchman Paret-Peintre, winner up the mythical Mont Ventoux at last year’s Tour de France, was able to follow — with the powerful Van Aert easily winning the sprint for the line.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The Norway Pavilion once included a ride called Maelstrom, which took riders through the Norwegian fjords with Vikings and mythic trolls.
    — Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of mythical
Adjective
  • The April indictment accused the organization of secretly funneling millions of dollars in donor funds to informants embedded in violent extremist movements, using bank accounts opened for fictitious companies.
    — Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The inaugural Ig Nobel Prize ceremony honored three fictitious achievers; all recipients in subsequent years (barring a 1994 award based on inaccurate reporting) have been real people.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Adjective
  • Peter [Merry] likes to use is that, when a caterpillar is becoming a butterfly, new ‘imaginal cells’ emerge.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 7 Aug. 2025
  • With one technique, for example—called imaginal exposure—you might be asked to visualize the process of going to the airport, boarding the plane, and experiencing a bad bout of turbulence.
    — Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024
Definition of imaginal
Adjective
  • Johnson plays Monroe at the height of her fame while Burstyn stars as an imagined version of Monroe later in life.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And this year’s menu reflects some through-the-years favorites, including some that have been re-imagined.
    — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of imagined

Browse Nearby Words

phantasmagoric
phantasmal
phantasmic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Phantasmal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasmal. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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