apparition

[ ap-uh-rish-uhn ]

/ ˌæp əˈrɪʃ ən /

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See synonyms for: apparition / apparitions / apparitional on Thesaurus.com

noun

a supernatural appearance of a person or thing, especially a ghost; a specter or phantom; wraith: a ghostly apparition at midnight.

anything that appears, especially something remarkable or startling: the surprising apparition of cowboys in New York City.

an act of appearing; manifestation.

Astronomy. the appearance or time when a comet, especially a periodic one, is visible: the 1986 apparition of Halley's comet.

OTHER WORDS FOR apparition

1 spirit, shade.

See synonyms for apparition on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of apparition

1400–50; late Middle English apparicio(u)n<Anglo-French, Old French <Late Latin appāritiōn- (stem of appāritiō, as calque of Greek epipháneiaepiphany), equivalent to Latin appārit(us) (past participle of appārēre;see appear) + -iōn--ion

synonym study for apparition

1. Apparition, phantasm, phantom are terms for a supernatural appearance. An apparition of a person or thing is an immaterial appearance that seems real, and is generally sudden or startling in its manifestation: an apparition of a headless horseman. Both phantom and phantasm denote an illusory appearance, as in a dream; the former may be pleasant, while the latter is usually frightening: a phantom of loveliness; a monstrous phantasm.

OTHER WORDS FROM apparition

ap·pa·ri·tion·al, adjectivenon·ap·pa·ri·tion·al, adjective

Words nearby apparition

apparent movement, apparent solar day, apparent temperature, apparent time, apparent wind, apparition, apparitor, appassionato, appd., appeal, appealing

How to use apparition in a sentence

My van, Gizmo, shook violently as I traversed the sixteen-mile washboard road up to Mowich Lake, Rainier hovering like an apparition on the horizon.
Why Mount Rainier Is the Ideal Park|mturner|September 18, 2021|Outside Online
The superb list of guest stars includes Bowen Yang, Vanessa Williams, John Slattery and Fey herself, appearing, incredibly, as an apparition of Dolly Parton.
The 5 Best New TV Shows Our Critic Watched in May 2021|Judy Berman|May 28, 2021|Time
Petrie repeatedly refers to Elefantin as an apparition, a revenant, an illusion.
With ‘Antiquities,’ Cynthia Ozick is as vibrant on the page as ever|Diane Cole|April 16, 2021|Washington Post
Rogue waves are sea ghosts, terrifying apparitions that arise without warning.
Our Favorite Comments of the Year|Thomas Lin|December 23, 2020|Quanta Magazine

During our drive home from dinner, an apparition of a yellow deer appears to me, seeming to float in the air over the Cullinan’s massive bonnet.
The first Rolls-Royce SUV has tricks that might actually justify its price tag|Dan Carney|October 5, 2020|Popular-Science
And then Further is gone, back on the road, like a time-traveling relic from another era or an apparition of Jerry Garcia.
On the Road With Kesey's (Drug-Free) Acid Test|Nina Strochlic|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mukamazimpaka also last reported seeing an apparition in 1989.
Did the Virgin Mary Warn Rwanda’s Holiest Town of the Genocide?|Nina Strochlic|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It will be far more consequential than the weird apparition of the gun–crazed rocker Ted Nugent at the State of the Union.
Obama and Bloomberg Together May Unarm the NRA|Robert Shrum|February 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And the president has to be himself too, not the sudden apparition of an inauthentic pol.
Washington’s Endless Civil War|Robert Shrum|January 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His challenge to use this week to cast the race as between two flesh-and-blood men, not the apparition of 2008.
Democratic Convention Dilemma: Obama 2012 vs. Obama 2008|Howard Kurtz|September 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Terrified with this apparition, he consulted several friends, who advised him to take the advice.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
This apparition lasted some eight minutes, and as soon as it disappeared another came of the same form, direction and appearance.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
The lions stopped also, being evidently taken by surprise at the sudden and unexpected apparition of a man!
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
Yet, the harder I stared the clearer appeared the amazing and monstrous apparition.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
Humanity shut its eyes in view of the hideous apparition of wan and haggard beggary and crime.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for apparition

apparition

/ (ˌæpəˈrɪʃən) /

noun

an appearance, esp of a ghost or ghostlike figure

the figure so appearing; phantom; spectre

the act of appearing or being visible

Word Origin for apparition

C15: from Late Latin appāritiō, from Latin: attendance, from appārēre to appear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

apparition

OTHER WORDS FOR apparition

Origin of apparition

synonym study for apparition

OTHER WORDS FROM apparition

Words nearby apparition

Words related to apparition

How to use apparition in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for apparition

Word Origin for apparition