as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
the company claimed that the only hazards involving its product were the phantom dangers created by consumer groups
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people
Halloween is supposed to be a time when phantoms return to walk among us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of phantom
Essie Assibu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Their bodies were never found, but locals and visitors, alike, say that when the wind is still and the moon bright, the couple’s shadowy figures can be seen drifting across the lake in a phantom canoe.
—Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 16 Oct. 2025
Dan Walters, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Understanding neutrinos’ properties could help explain how how the universe formed, how stars evolve and whether neutrinos, which pass through the Earth and even our bodies like phantoms, are their own antiparticles.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Adjective
Six-year-old Misha’s playful hunt for a phantom spy unfolds against the quiet unease of Soviet adulthood, blending innocence with historical introspection.
—Essie Assibu, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Their bodies were never found, but locals and visitors, alike, say that when the wind is still and the moon bright, the couple’s shadowy figures can be seen drifting across the lake in a phantom canoe.
—Emilee Coblentz, Outside, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
When the surplus was exposed as a phantom, the state was stuck with a chronic income/outgo gap that persists.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Understanding neutrinos’ properties could help explain how how the universe formed, how stars evolve and whether neutrinos, which pass through the Earth and even our bodies like phantoms, are their own antiparticles.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantom
Adjective
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In those meetings, our would-be bosses told us to make mock phone calls to prospective clients to gauge our ability to convince strangers about the merit of an imaginary product.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Each one was built by a Ramona family, less to keep away any errant birds from imaginary crops at the Grange parking lot, but more to celebrate fall and enjoy a family collaboration.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Georgetown's ghost tours are just one activity visitors can participate in as a part of the Kentucky After Dark passport program.—
Stephanie Stremplewski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Oct. 2025
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Some locals believe founder Charles Pfister still roams the property, according to reports, and even celebrities like rapper Megan Thee Stallion have gone ghost hunting there.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Of course, close animal encounters aren't always fictitious.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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The Half Moon Bay weigh-off began in 1974, when the California town barely edged out Circleville, Ohio, in an amiable contest for the fictitious title of pumpkin capital of the world.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Fettel is present as a ghostly apparition.—
Will Borger,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
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Pulse is a ghost story, featuring two interwoven storylines about young Tokyoites who begin to see and hear strange apparitions flitting across their computer screens.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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First, and perhaps most obvious, the fictional thriller draws inspiration from the Manson Family's home invasion and murder of Sharon Tate and her friends, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, as well as Steven Parent, who was visiting the home's caretaker.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The Heart of the Ocean may be fictional, but its legend feels real—modeled loosely on the Hope Diamond.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In this spirit, as with Bloomsday, there are Midwinter Day marathon readings!—
Diana Arterian,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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The 40th release, however, marks the first time the brand has ever released a tequila—an extra añejo blend put together by a leading name in the agave spirits industry.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That suits its otherworldly and somewhat formal tone, which takes viewers deep into Japan’s mythical past for a quartet of eerie tales about lonely ghosts and vengeful spirits who bring supernatural justice to selfish and immoral humans.—
Katie Rife,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
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Mateus’s approach to the declamation of text by nonprofessional actors finds its roots in movies by Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, while her mythic, loamy exploration of the lives of the poor through history follows in the footsteps of the Portuguese director Pedro Costa.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On the surface, the glorious black-and-white concoction, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last May, tells the (mostly imagined) story of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s epoch-defining 1960 movie, Breathless.—
Tomris Laffly,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
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The rules of fiction require me to do this indirectly, constructing a narrator—whether a character or an imagined voice—to deliver the text at hand.—
Vauhini Vara,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantom. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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