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
  • The film was a vision of the future refracted through an imaginary past.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The elimination of the imaginary Kong Mountains and knowledge of a shorter travel distance through the dense tropical forest accelerated French colonization of the region.
    — Thomas J Bassett, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • The path of the 2027 total solar eclipse will cross southern Tunisia, where several locations were used to bring the fictional desert planet Tatooine to life.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The books are based in the fictional, haunted, historic lakeside town of Wharton; Season 1 of the series will adapt Webb’s book The End of Temperance Dare.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of fictional
Adjective
  • Though not a household name, in certain circles, Celmins has attained near-mythic status.
    — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The rooms Even the most economical rooms are on point, continuing that mythic, sultry vibe that’s consistent across the resort.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of mythical
Adjective
  • This Lincolnian view of the war—that the United States was perpetual and that the Confederate States of America was a fictitious, farcical nation—has led to various historical interpretations ever since, among historians and laypeople alike.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The series will be set in a fictitious Barneys in Beverly Hills, not New York, and the real founding family of the retailer, the Pressman family, has no involvement, the spokesperson said.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 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
  • The companies that continue to solve for an imagined version of their consumer will lose to the companies solving for the real one.
    — Sam Peskin, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Brand, ⁠once ‌one of Britain’s most high-profile ‌broadcasters and the ‌former husband of ⁠singer Katy Perry, had denied the accusations, saying the incidents ‌had either ​been ‌consensual, reinvented ⁠or re-imagined.
    — Adela Suliman, NBC news, 5 Nov. 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 11 Nov. 2026.

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