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

But if there were any chance of changing my mind and taking the plunge, watching “Welcome to Derry” has permanently exorcised any phantom longings.

Read more on Salon

The “phantom punch” abruptly ended the fight approximately two minutes into the first round.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The smell of dust and toner mixed with the butter-fat perfume of whatever phantom feast I was imagining.

Read more on Salon

But this time, it’s being presented off-Broadway in a radically reconceived version, dubbed “Masquerade,” that lets audiences get up close and personal with the phantom himself.

Read more on MarketWatch

"Our company has never disappeared, we have responded to every email, so we are not a phantom company."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• hallucination