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
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Recent Examples of phantasm
In spite of its phonetics, apparently the term is not Yiddish, but a neologism declared by a French writer of comedic phantasms to be German and intended to designate an absurd, unfathomable object that can serve all kinds of purposes.
—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
But is the gender phantasm as crucial to the global far right as Butler claims?
—Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Likewise, Poe’s devilish ambiguity, his production of phantasms both real and imagined, undergirds James’s own ventures into the genre.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2023
Those are all real things, not the phantasms of a junk-food loving fourth-grader’s fever dreams.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh, Artforum, 1 June 2025
But is the gender phantasm as crucial to the global far right as Butler claims?
—Katha Pollitt, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Likewise, Poe’s devilish ambiguity, his production of phantasms both real and imagined, undergirds James’s own ventures into the genre.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2023
Those are all real things, not the phantasms of a junk-food loving fourth-grader’s fever dreams.
—Emily Heil, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023
See All Example Sentences for phantasm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm
Noun
-
But the illusion shatters when a stranger on the street recognizes the dog… as HER boyfriend Danny’s dog.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This week, even Penny’s exceptionalism is revealed to be an illusion.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
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Those themes are alive here, as the ghosts who visit Depp’s Scrooge are intricate, terrifying apparitions not suitable for the whole family.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The coffee shop seemed so long ago now, so far away, as if something out of a dream.—
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Derek Muller, an election law expert, suggests that scenario is little more than a fever dream of doomsday devotees and overly nervous Nellies.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Money was counted daily, spoken of incessantly, felt in its paucity like a ghost in each room.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
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That doesn’t mean the ghosts here aren’t scary.—
Jon Dolan,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lush, dark wood shelving and the rolling library ladder of every bookish person's dreams complete the fantasy.—
Nathanael Gassett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Yet this is precisely the idea that the Enhanced Games is peddling—the fantasy that what Proud or Collins takes to break a world record, at a different dose, might make a man in his 70s more mobile, energized, and maybe even hotter.—
Clara Molot,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There was more spirit, resilience and fight against Roberto De Zerbi’s side than Wolves had displayed in the second half of the 4-0 defeat at West Ham and almost the entirety of the 3-0 reverse at Leeds United.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The yarns of Joe Turner interweave gradually, everyday chit-chat, bargaining, and flirtation interlocking over time with threads of mysticism — both the ghosts of a brutal history and the ancestral spirits that stand protective and defiant like a phalanx of angels with shining swords.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Just think of all those vacant Madonnas, structurally perfect compositions, and obedient daydreams of antiquity.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The family car is a Mazda, but Zac daydreams of a Bugatti Veyron.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Phantasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasm. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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