apparition

noun

ˌa-pə-ˈri-shən How to pronounce apparition (audio)
Definition of apparitionnext
as in ghost
the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people an eccentric who claimed to have photographed an apparition in her very own house

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 apparition 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 That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026 Reports of strange sounds, apparitions, and unexplained encounters continue to attract visitors. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 June 2026 Why then, when discussing body image after weight changes, is our culture reaching for the language of vexing apparitions and death? — Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for apparition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apparition
  1. ghost
  2. spirit
  3. phantom
Noun
  • Spirit Airlines' ghost planes The problems with young retirements predate Spirit's collapse.
    — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In 2026, the gemlike Brooklyn venue lent Kushner’s project a magical quality, turning the audience into ghosts from the future, eavesdropping on the fall of the Weimar Republic but unable to intervene.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of ghost
Noun
  • In the spirit of B-movie icons like Roger Corman, the film was shot in four days for $40,000 in order to celebrate Chris LaMartina’s 40th birthday.
    — William Earl, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In that spirit, three articles offering guidance across the course of a woman’s life were published Monday in Circulation.
    — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of spirit
Noun
  • As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Fadal brought up her own phantom smells during a recent podcast conversation with Andrea Donsky, a nutritionist who’s written about and conducted research on this symptom.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of phantom

Browse Nearby Words

apparentness
apparition
apparitions
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Apparition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apparition. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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