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
  • Other use cases for Google Earth’s image generation include visualizing future or imaginary projects.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026
  • For years, Ryan Coogler, Chadwick Boseman and Marvel Comics have brought to the world Wakanda, an imaginary African nation powerful enough to control its resources, protect its culture and build its future without the rest of the world’s permission.
    — Richard Fowler, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • It is set in Mano Majra, a fictional village on the new frontier between India and Pakistan, where Sikh and Muslim families have lived together peacefully for generations.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
  • Joanne Miller is a fictional agent who in the film leads the manhunt for the adult Ted and uses the words in the Unabomber’s manifesto to track him down.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 July 2026
Definition of fictional
Adjective
  • Fast-forward from the lair of a mythical creature to the feeds of Gen-Z influencers and tangy, curd-y cheese is still having a moment.
    — Nina Moskowitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of chasing a mythical peak, look for three concrete signals.
    — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of mythical
Adjective
  • But the samurai genre already presupposes a fictitious otherworldly place, and everyday normalcy simply doesn’t exist there, Kurosawa said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • Here are three fictitious, but realistic, examples that reflect how different promotions may work.
    — Louis DeNicola, Forbes.com, 28 July 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
  • Not always very precisely balanced between horror, homage and mystery, this intriguing if unevenly realized construct will nonetheless lure genre fans and nostalgists alike with its imagined back chapter of golden-age Hollywood.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • Altman said earlier this week that humanity has entered the technological singularity, the long imagined point when machine intelligence begins advancing faster than people can reliably predict or direct.
    — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 28 July 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 4 Aug. 2026.

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