variants
also fantasm
1
as in illusion
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 apparition
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of phantasm
The phantasm jeers at me in this lecture theatre.
—
Tega Oghenechovwen, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020
There, like enormous catcher’s mitts, the detectors lie in wait for extremely rare collisions between one of these lumbering phantasms and an ordinary atom.
—Rachel Courtland, IEEE Spectrum, 1 May 2014
But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021
Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states.
—Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021
See all Example Sentences for phantasm 
Tega Oghenechovwen, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020
There, like enormous catcher’s mitts, the detectors lie in wait for extremely rare collisions between one of these lumbering phantasms and an ordinary atom.
—Rachel Courtland, IEEE Spectrum, 1 May 2014
But eventually, the duo turned the phantasm into solid logic.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2021
Southern lawmakers baselessly claimed Black men were lynched for raping White women -- a phantasm that still haunts Black men -- and asserted laws governing lynchings were best left to the states.
—Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN, 27 May 2021
See all Example Sentences for phantasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm
Noun
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This ‘80s silhouette, which cinches at the waist but leaves volume across the shoulders and flares at the hip, creates the illusion of an exaggerated hourglass figure, immediately adding shape back into Jenner’s otherwise loose-fitting ensemble.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
27 Jan. 2025
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This lack of day-to-day oversight allows Starfleet to preserve the illusion of plausible deniability.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There’s a kind of Gothic quality to the apparitions, calling to mind Edward Gorey figures, but all smeared and melted and smudged.—
Alissa Wilkinson,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2025
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There have been no sightings, no fleeting apparitions.—
David Ornstein,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Now Mission: Impossible actress Hayley Atwell has shared that her co-star and producer was also fulfilling a lifelong dream.—
Caroline Frost,
Deadline,
2 Feb. 2025
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Playing with Los Angeles has been a fulfillment of a lifelong dream.—
Fabian Ardaya,
The Athletic,
2 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Weathered homes built in Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Craftsman Bungalow, and Queen Anne styles line Hemphill like ghosts from a thriving era.—
Richard J. Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Feb. 2025
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Anyone who saw Chris McKim’s kinetic 2020 documentary collage about the late David Wojnarowicz more than likely was haunted also by the other ghost very much present in that film, Peter Hujar.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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McAndrews, who wrote her master’s thesis on rape revenge films, quickly understood Alvey’s fresh vision.—
William Earl,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2025
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Not every black-tie event is the same, so the rules may vary, but the important thing is always to respect the host and follow their vision for the night’s dress code.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But some analysts are worried investors might be cheering a mere phantom.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
27 Jan. 2025
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On Friday, a team of researchers argued that the fish was a phantom all along.—
Jason Nark,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Noun
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In a moment of delusion, Simon cooks up a scheme to get Wei-Tung married and secure their friend Wei-Wei a green card.—
Sadie Collins,
Them,
24 Jan. 2025
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Researchers noted the positive effects of ecstatic epilepsy and synthesized fifty-three theoretical models of delusion.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harper's Magazine,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There was a woozy unreality about that first glimpse.—
Peter Ross,
Smithsonian Magazine,
8 Jan. 2025
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Schwarzenegger’s hand getting enmeshed in the T-1000’s liquid skull emphasizes unreality, yet every time a Terminator throws the other against another machine, it’s done with the strength of human force.—
Vikram Murthi,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near phantasm
Cite this Entry
“Phantasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasm. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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