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phantom 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of phantomnext
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

phantom

2 of 2

noun

ˈfan-təm How to pronounce phantom (audio)
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

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 phantom
Adjective
The rush to capitalize on AI developers’ seemingly bottomless demand for computing power has produced some phantom projects and long-shot pitches. — Matt Day, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 In a new cross-sectional study, researchers at Istanbul Medipol University in Türkiye set out to explain the neuroscience behind these phantom earthquake sensations. — New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
On the 1994 comeback album Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins, Sparks imagined Liberace, who died in 1987, making his own comeback in the afterlife, adored again as a phantom haunting the Earth. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 31 July 2026 Left behind are her great-grandmother’s haunting journals detailing the story of her own phantom, and subsequently, her brutal murder. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for phantom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantom
  1. imaginary
  2. ghost
  3. fictitious
  4. apparition
  5. fictional
  6. spirit
  7. mythical
  8. imagined
Adjective
  • Forte_Forte For spring 2027, Giada Forte embarked on an imaginary journey inspired by the Spice Route, combining nods to destinations from Venice to Egypt to Morocco.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Stewart smiled while on her way to the bench as the ESPN broadcast highlighted Jonquel Jones stirring an imaginary pot on the sidelines.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Noun
  • Swift is a ghost of girlfriends past haunting Johnson in the video, sleeping in bed next to her, knocking drinks over to warn her to leave her ominous partner.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
  • What in the zeitgeist lends itself to this burgeoning fascination with ghosts and the afterlife?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of ghost
Adjective
  • As the puzzle pieces shift slowly into place, these revelations are jaw-dropping (once again, in their highly fictitious context), leading to a journalistic urgency.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Despite its admittedly fictitious origins, Juliet’s House is one of the most popular sites in Verona.
    — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictitious
Noun
  • For evening observers, this apparition has been more frustrating than triumphant, with Venus lingering low in the glow of twilight instead of climbing into a commanding position.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • One minute, the stubble field in front of his stand had been empty, and then suddenly, like an apparition, a whitetail buck had appeared.
    — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of apparition
Adjective
  • Although this hypothetical technology was long considered to be exclusively a fictional idea, a growing number of physicists have begun to wonder if warp drives might really be possible, and if not in a practical sense, at least on paper.
    — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • This fictional tale based on real events looks at the impact of civil war on the country, just as Yemen is on the edge of a possible return to the conflict that killed 150,000 and brought many others close to famine.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fictional
Noun
  • Upstairs, on the top floor, the bar serves vintage hard-to-get champagne and spirits by the glass.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Desperate to regain her dominance while dazzling pageant recruiter Eloise Amponsah (Tony Award winner Patina Miller), who was Miss Ghana 1966, Paulina launches a campaign to crush Ericka’s spirit and dash her chances in the spotlight.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of spirit
Adjective
  • In that dialogue, Endymion, the mythical shepherd, is imprisoned in an eternal sleep by Artemis and accosts a stranger who is on his way to Mount Latmus, where Endymion repairs each night to wait for Artemis.
    — Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Over the past few decades, Bimota has reached an almost mythical status in the motorcycle community.
    — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of mythical
Adjective
  • The production was full of nostalgia for an imagined past when the small screen was more ascendant and apolitical, with tributes to Charlie’s Angels and Dolly Parton shirking any embrace of the form’s progressive history.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The summer before, so many Black men and Black children and Black women had been murdered for the most meager of real or imagined offenses.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of imagined

Browse Nearby Words

phantasms
phantom
phantoms
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantom. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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