phantom

Or fan·tom

[fan-tuhm]

noun

1. an apparition or specter.

2. an appearance or illusion without material substance, as a dream image, mirage, or optical illusion.

3. a person or thing of merely illusory power, status, efficacy, etc..

   the phantom of fear.

4. an illustration, part of which is given a transparent effect so as to permit representation of details otherwise hidden from view, as the inner workings of a mechanical device.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or of the nature of a phantom; illusory.

   a phantom sea serpent.

   Synonyms: imaginary
   Antonyms: material, real

2. Electricity.,  noting or pertaining to a phantom circuit.

3. named, included, or recorded but nonexistent; fictitious.

   Payroll checks were made out and cashed for phantom employees.

phantom

/ ˈfæntəm /

noun

1. 1. an apparition or spectre

   2. ( as modifier )

      a phantom army marching through the sky

2. the visible representation of something abstract, esp as appearing in a dream or hallucination

   phantoms of evil haunted his sleep

3. something apparently unpleasant or horrific that has no material form

4. med another name for manikin

Other Word Forms

• phantomlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of phantom¹

1250–1300; Middle English fantosme < Middle French, Old French < Latin phantasma phantasm

Word History and Origins

Origin of phantom¹

C13: from Old French fantosme, from Latin phantasma _phantasm

Synonym Study

See apparition.

Example Sentences

Police first managed to speak with the phantom F1 driver in 2019, when images and video of the car on the motorway first started to appear online.

From BBC

However, Liberal Democrat treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper warned the chancellor must now deliver, because "these communities have heard these same promises before, only to be left with phantom transport networks".

From BBC

One year later, our trauma not subsiding, we decided to keep the phantom bugs starving in the BB bag and buy another Rimowa.

From Los Angeles Times

And yes, we also exploited other countries, chased phantom ideological goals and otherwise betrayed our ideals but this was central to how we organized our tremendous military and economic power in the world.

From Salon

The Times often published the lists of their names and regiments, like a phantom roll call: the 121st Ohio, the 11th Indiana, the 29th Michigan, the 17th Kansas, the 10th Wisconsin.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hallucination