PHANTASM Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

phantasm

noun

ˈfan-ˌta-zəm

variants also fantasm

Definition of phantasm

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

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of phantasm No one had meant more to Miami during the past three years, devoting themselves to painstakingly lifting a program plump with the phantasm of a reign long past. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 20 Jan. 2026 In times of increasing cynicism and apathy in the zeitgeist, this phantasm extravaganza — at once humorously deadpan in its playful tableaus and poignantly sincere at its emotional core — feels like a breath of fresh air. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Oct. 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 See All Example Sentences for phantasm

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasm

Noun

Published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, 95 people—Millennial and Gen Z men and women, all of whom had a history of using Instagram for an average of eight years—underwent a virtual reality experience called body illusions.

— Nicole Karlis, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
The irony, of course, is that this very haphazardness is orchestrated by Dante, who is putting all the references together with intention — the intention of creating the illusion of no intention, of chaos.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of illusion

Noun

That is, until miraculous apparitions turn it into a place to be.

— Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026
The music starts to shift beginning with the third episode, when Lestat becomes overwhelmed by the apparition of his abusive maker and other ghosts, including Claudia, whose killing he’d been forced to witness firsthand.

— Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026

Definition of apparition

Noun

Fairview’s board thought hard before committing to such a costly venture, but had a dream, said Edie Kalin, president of the Odd Fellows Home of CT.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
The trio’s minimalist approach to electronic pop music — which draws from dream pop, electro-rock and other styles — has aged impeccably over the years.

— Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of dream

Noun

Crow-Armstrong’s single to center leading off the 11th sent Kelly, the ghost runner, home from second.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
There’s ghosts, there’s futures, there’s residue in this building—there’s sweat from colonial histories that reside in brick and concrete for centuries.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of ghost

Noun

This is the same thing, only moms are living their I-wish-when-I-was-in-college fantasies through their daughters.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Rum has always been good at fantasy, conjuring sunshine in a bad bar, smuggling a little heat in the cold, and making the most sensible drinker briefly vulnerable to the pull of a paper umbrella.

— Lela London, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of fantasy

Noun

In that spirit, don’t expect to see superstars such as Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw or Nick Bosa.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
The backstory L’Auberge Carmel, a Relais & Châteaux property, was built in 1929 as a commission for Allen Knight, an adventurer and author, as a way to bring together the artistic spirit of Carmel-by-the-Sea and European traditions.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of spirit

Noun

And amidst the momentum of reverie, there’s the line ‘Blink at the light and hope to survive,’ because daydreams in a fascist state can be scary too.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
One-touch passing, feinting and ripping hard shots into a tattered net, each is super-charged by vivid daydreams of glory on the international stage.

— Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026

Definition of daydream

Noun

Both phantoms were packed with thousands of dosimeters, tracking radiation dose over specific phases of the flight rather than just a cumulative total.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2026
The two phantoms were designed to be adult females, since previous research found that breasts and ovaries are especially susceptible to radiation damage.

— Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2026