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
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Recent Examples of apparition
One of the most stunning exhibitions of the year put the spotlight on Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has a long history dating back to 1531, tied to four apparitions of the Virgin Mary to a peasant in Mexico.
—
Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
There have been Marian apparitions such as Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal and Our Lady of Lourdes in France, each with its own story and significance in the Catholic identity of its respective region.
—Paula Soria, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
In this show the palette shifted from the artist’s familiar Pepto-Bismol pink to slightly more somber shades, of saffron, eggplant, and rose; the colors had a touch of Bob Thompson about them, blocky flat shapes cohering into apparitions.
—Helen Molesworth, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
In this version, miserly Madame Eleanor is visited by the ghost former business partner Jacob Marley as well as a few other apparitions.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apparition
Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025
There have been Marian apparitions such as Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal and Our Lady of Lourdes in France, each with its own story and significance in the Catholic identity of its respective region.
—Paula Soria, AZCentral.com, 11 Dec. 2025
In this show the palette shifted from the artist’s familiar Pepto-Bismol pink to slightly more somber shades, of saffron, eggplant, and rose; the colors had a touch of Bob Thompson about them, blocky flat shapes cohering into apparitions.
—Helen Molesworth, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
In this version, miserly Madame Eleanor is visited by the ghost former business partner Jacob Marley as well as a few other apparitions.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for apparition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for apparition
Noun
-
In the book, the trope is introduced when Lockwood sleeps in Catherine’s childhood bed and is visited by her girl-ghost wandering the moors, demanding to be let in.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The show’s greatest strength was never just the jump scares or the hidden ghosts tucked into background shots.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
To see him in such high spirits, seemingly not dampened by being rested for the final half-hour as Chelsea continue to manage his minutes, was a rare treat.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The spirit and the symbolism were, at times, undecipherable.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Stygiomedusa gigantea, commonly known as the giant phantom jelly, was filmed at 250 meters below the surface.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Old Town The belltower looms like a phantom.—
Chen Yuhong,
The Dial,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Apparition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apparition. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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