phantasms

noun

variants also fantasms
plural of phantasm
1
as in illusions
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality frightened by the phantasms of his own making

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in apparitions
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasms
  1. illusions
  2. apparitions
  3. visions
  4. spirits
  5. dreams
  6. ghosts
  7. fantasies
  8. shadows
Noun
  • Their fourth-quarter magic is gone, replaced by fourth-quarter illusions.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Cognitive symptoms could include illusions or hallucinations — some patients report sensing a shadowy figure nearby — and difficulties with problem solving and navigation.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of illusions
Noun
  • The location was a former sugarcane plantation notorious for cruelty, and accounts of apparitions in the water are a reminder of this history.
    — Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
  • That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
Definition of apparitions
Noun
  • Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Polls now show the two running neck-and-neck in a race marked by sharply different visions for Brazil’s economy, security and place in the world.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of visions
Noun
  • Vallow Daybell holds doomsday religious beliefs and has claimed that people in her life were possessed by evil spirits.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • This can be especially uncomfortable when the prevailing narrative holds its own special significance, but pondering such complexities strengthens our minds and our spirits.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of spirits
Noun
  • Evidence remains mixed, and dreams could also be an experiential by-product of useful sleeping-brain activity, rather than an adaptation with its own job description.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026
  • This is the state that Haley Stevens has claimed to literally see in her dreams.
    — Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vanity Fair, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of dreams
Noun
  • Before it was demolished in the early 1800s, his crumbling mansion was said to be haunted by ghosts and strange occurrences.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • These books span from a far-future with flicker ghosts to the present transformed by a magical RPG to a medieval realm where a scholar/harlot/healer rides for women’s rights.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of ghosts
Noun
  • Though Klum sat in the makeup chair for nine hours to fulfill her reptilian fantasies, the highlight of her costume were the mechanical snakes on her head.
    — Lynsey Eidell, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In this particular love club, some fantasies really do come true.
    — Megan O’Sullivan, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of fantasies
Noun
  • If there's snow on the ground, check for shadows made by Venus's light.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Rattlesnakes are lazy hunters that wait in the shadows for prey to approach.
    — RJ Mackenzie, Popular Science, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of shadows
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.

Browse Nearby Words

phantasmic
phantasms
phantom
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Phantasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasms. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All