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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of phantom
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Feb. 2026
The phantom French manicure works on all nail shapes, from almond, like these by Koleva, to squoval, like this set posted to Instagram by @Nai__Spa.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 3 Feb. 2026
Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
There has been a phantom haunting this Matlock season.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Adjective
The team also documented an extremely rare phantom jellyfish (Stygiomedusa gigantea), which is known to grow as long as a school bus.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Feb. 2026
The phantom French manicure works on all nail shapes, from almond, like these by Koleva, to squoval, like this set posted to Instagram by @Nai__Spa.
—Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
Gives himself entirely to the race, shoots like a phantom up through the opening and then stands panting in the garret, completely motionless, while his eyes become accustomed to the change of light.
—Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
There has been a phantom haunting this Matlock season.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantom
Adjective
-
Nobody has ever called Brentford head coach Keith Andrews a magical or imaginary being.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Circumpolar stars Astronomers use a common set of reference points to project Earth’s north and south poles, and the equator, onto the celestial sphere, an imaginary sphere encompassing the sky.—
Vahe Peroomian,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Paramount+ series, which follows a group of ghosts stuck in purgatory inside their high school, uses its premise — characters tethered to different decades — as both a narrative engine and a musical one.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
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However, the gap to Arsenal is back up to seven points, below, and in trying eradicate it, City are chasing a ghost.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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To ventriloquize one’s parent is a bold move, and fictitious Barbara would absolutely read it as a betrayal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mercury puts on its best evening apparition of 2025 for Northern Hemisphere observers during these two weeks.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
As the 14-year-old child of a poor family in 1858, Saint Bernadette experienced numerous apparitions of a young woman in a cave or grotto, seemingly the Virgin Mary, asking for a chapel to be built on the site.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In a signal of how much pressure there was to do right by the beloved fictional couple, four endings were written and filmed.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Irish Triangle may sound like a fictional, far-away land, but, luckily for Louisvillians, this magical corner of the Highlands is very real.—
Amanda Hancock,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This all-day, rain-or-shine celebration will be overflowing with live entertainment, festive food, family fun and plenty of Irish spirit, including special offerings from Guinness and Jameson, who will be onsite with festive surprises.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Older and younger kids can play together, fostering a spirit of collaboration.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Parents,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Sightings of mythical creatures in Rhode Island are far and few between these days, but a giant serpent that supposedly once lived in the woods of present-day Coventry is the subject of enduring local lore.—
Antonia Noori Farzan,
The Providence Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
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Some figures raise their arms in poses that suggest bodybuilders or mythic heroes.—
Miguel Sirgado,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
However, because of its relatively remote location, lack of infrastructure, and the economic realities of the time, the imagined city never came to fruition.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Both are beatless, widescreen, and almost formless, little soundtracks to an imagined world in bloom.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantom. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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