PHANTASMS Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

phantasms

noun

variants also fantasms

plural of phantasm

as in illusions

a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality frightened by the phantasms of his own making

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in apparitions

the soul of a dead person thought of especially as appearing to living people believed that she'd seen the phantasm of her father on the anniversary of his death

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasms

Noun

Every Saturday morning, about 190 starry-eyed students ages 10 to 18 attend classes in everything from puppetry, mime and clowning to juggling, card tricks, illusions, mentalism, stage magic, theater production and escapology.

— Julie Bourdin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
Pokémon cards, a pricey Ferrari shirt and a touristy museum of illusions.

— Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of illusions

Noun

Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Polls now show the two running neck-and-neck in a race marked by sharply different visions for Brazil’s economy, security and place in the world.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of visions

Noun

The week will start dry and warmer than normal, but rain chances return Tuesday and could dampen Halloween spirits, with a 40% chance of rain Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
As the Commander of the crew, my main responsibilities were to make sure the crew was safe, in good health and spirits, getting along well and on top of their work.

— Michaela Musilova, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of spirits

Noun

The runway ghosts This shift in Halloween’s long-term relevance has been dominated by the vintage sector as gay Halloween ups the caliber of IYKYK references.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 26 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 ghosts

Noun

The words cut sharply into the jumble of to-do lists, fantasies, snippets of possible writing, worry, and leftover traces of postpartum depression that constituted my mind in the early months of 1993.

— Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Every week, the critics and editors at The New York Times Book Review pick the most interesting and notable new releases, from literary fiction and serious nonfiction to thrillers, romance novels, fantasies, mysteries and everything in between.

— New York Times, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of fantasies

Noun

Visions, enhanced with shadows and emotion, came to life on marble through sketching the stone and chiseling and carving entirely by hand.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026
This refusal to look directly at the shadows is all the more aggravating given how often The Mosquito Bowl pats itself on the back for being clear-eyed.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of shadows

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.

Browse Nearby Words

phantasmic

phantasms

phantom

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Style

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

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Synonyms of phantasms

noun

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