apparition

American  

[ap-uh-rish-uhn] / ˌæp əˈrɪʃ ən /

noun

1. a supernatural appearance of a person or thing, especially a ghost; a specter or phantom; wraith.

   a ghostly apparition at midnight.

   Synonyms:

   shade, spirit

2. anything that appears, especially something remarkable or startling.

   the surprising apparition of cowboys in New York City.

3. an act of appearing; manifestation.

4. Astronomy. the appearance or time when a comet, especially a periodic one, is visible.

   the 1986 apparition of Halley's comet.

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apparition British  

/ ˌæpəˈrɪʃən /

noun

1. an appearance, esp of a ghost or ghostlike figure

2. the figure so appearing; phantom; spectre

3. the act of appearing or being visible

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Related Words

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 Word Forms

• apparitional adjective
• nonapparitional adjective

Etymology

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 epipháneia epiphany ), equivalent to Latin appārit ( us ) (past participle of appārēre; see appear) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If you see something you think might be a ghost, you can call it an apparition to hedge your bets. Apparition doesn't commit you in the same way the word ghost does—and saying that you've seen one won't cause you to be committed. Deriving from the Latin apparere "appear," apparition was first used in 1520 in a religious context, referring to the moment when the three wise men appear before the infant Jesus in the Bible. Later, apparition came to include the appearance of ghosts, or ghostly figures. It can also mean a memory so vivid it's like seeing a ghost.

Example Sentences

“She is Our Lady of Guadalupe,” he tells me, a Marian apparition venerated as a national icon in Mexico.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Their missive even concluded with a shout-out to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the brown, pregnant apparition of the Virgin Mary who’s the patroness of the Americas for Catholics.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2025

According to legend, the miraculous apparition of Saints Peter and Paul during the meeting between Pope Leo I and Attila the king of the Huns in 452 AD made the latter desist from invading Italy.

From BBC • May 9, 2025

Least expensive: “A Polaroid of an apparition of the Virgin Mary in a glass structure in Clearwater, Fla. I got it on eBay for $7.”

From New York Times • May 16, 2024

Most women would be offended to be mistaken for the ghostly apparition, but she did not flinch at the horrific namesake.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall