phantasms

noun

variants also fantasms
plural of phantasm
1
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
2
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
  1. illusions
  2. apparitions
  3. visions
  4. spirits
  5. dreams
  6. ghosts
  7. fantasies
  8. shadows
Noun
  • Presented Out of Competition at the 1967 edition of Venice, Deadly Sweet takes it cue from a brief encounter between a disenchanted man and a girl with no illusions in the wake of the murder of a nightclub owner in London.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 29 June 2026
  • Perhaps because of this aesthetic of illusions, the earnest state pride evident in some of the pavilions turns out to feel especially delightful.
    — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026
Definition of illusions
Noun
  • Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena.
    — 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
Definition of apparitions
Noun
  • And for Rhaenyra, there are different visions of her premiership, one being something that looks a little like her father’s, that of the sort of moderate, kind of peaceful ruler.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 6 July 2026
  • Ahead of Independence Day, the two figureheads of America’s political parties offered competing visions for the nation’s future, each before symbols of the country’s past.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2026
Definition of visions
Noun
  • Koval Distillery, Chicago’s first legal post-Prohibition distillery, produces spirits as artful as its bottle designs and Vin312 Winery has grown from its owner’s garage into a full-fledged tasting room.
    — Midwest Living, Midwest Living, 1 July 2026
  • The release continues Tamworth’s tradition of creating spirits inspired by the natural world around its rural New Hampshire home.
    — Emily Price, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of spirits
Noun
  • Romelu Lukaku scored the fourth goal just at the end of stoppage time, and ending the USMNT’s dreams.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
Definition of dreams
Noun
  • It could be argued baseball isn't America's pastime any longer, yet there's something poetic and haunting in this beautiful film that explores the sport as well as ghosts of our past.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
  • The savory along the river is teeming with bees, and small white moths light among the ghosts of withered bergamot.
    — Meghan O’Gieblyn, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of ghosts
Noun
  • For this dourest of doubters, Musk’s claims for the feats ahead can only happen in the SpaceX founder’s head, or in the sci-fi fantasies Eisman grew up on.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 June 2026
  • Circe and Calypso, for instance, are fantasies of pleasure and captivity, projections of men’s fear of losing control; Odysseus’ abandonment of them is part of his return to command.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Definition of fantasies
Noun
  • Dark figures were darting through the shadows—Germans were carrying sacks and pillows to their building.
    — Vasily Grossman, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Reflections, shadows and motion blur can all reduce detection confidence.
    — Freddy Kuo, Forbes.com, 29 June 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Phantasms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasms. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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