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
Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
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
Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Adjective
These phantom costs drive up annual premiums.
—Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026
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
Noun
Investigators said the resident was experiencing excruciating pain from a hernia, phantom leg syndrome and nerve damage from diabetes.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for phantom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantom
Adjective
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Bartle replied that the two Kansas Cities were really one big city, separated only by an imaginary state line.—
Elijah Winkler,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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In the Williams-Paisley household, even an imaginary man can cause a marital kerfuffle.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When Wei’s Cantonese left its Meridian ghost-kitchen building and paused business — vowing to seek another location later — fans were understandably disappointed.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Mar. 2026
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Listen to the full episode to hear about the ghost-hunting groups that rose up to fight them, and how ghost hoaxing was the precursor to that terrifying scary clown trend from 2016.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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One requires election records to be maintained for 22 months, while the other prohibits procuring, casting or tabulating false, fictitious or fraudulent ballots.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Rogen, who in the show plays fictitious studio head Matt Remick, briefly attended the festival in September to do research.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Acosta’s bright shapes could be seen as apparitions of a sort.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
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For example, the apparition of his first wife, Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis), appeared a handful times in season five.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Clavicular is like a blend of Dorian Gray and Patrick Bateman, those fictional creations of gay authors out to probe the sinister side of male vanity.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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The prologue that opens Ragtime loudly announces the musical’s epic ambitions as its nine fictional characters and six of its historical figures introduce themselves with third-person narration and shout-singing.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Of course, there was also John Ashbery, a presiding spirit in his body of work.—
Giles Harvey,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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For travelers with an adventurous spirit, Costa Rica’s South Pacific is a dream come true.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Sierra Canyon finished the season 30-1 and is in the conversation for a mythical national championship.—
Tarek Fattal,
Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
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But Arirang can be frustrating as a collection of sometimes aspirationally simplistic literary concepts from a group with a catalogue of songs brandishing mythic notions and philosophical concepts (sometimes hilariously).—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The title track is simply a recitation of imagined Spotify playlists, and once the joke lands we’re not left with much.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
25 Mar. 2026
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The campaign, which started in 2024, is part of the zoo's overall goal to fund a world-class aquarium, a larger education center and a re-imagined butterfly garden at the Great Plains Zoo campus.—
Shelly Conlon,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Phantom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantom. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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