phantasmal

[ fan-taz-muhl ]

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of a phantasm; unreal; illusory; spectral:

   phantasmal creatures of nightmare.

Other Words From

• phantas·mali·ty noun
• phan·tasmal·ly phan·tasmi·cal·ly phantas·mati·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of phantasmal¹

First recorded in 1805–15; phantasm + -al ¹

Example Sentences

This phantasmal region holds a particular lure for Osborn—not simply to uncover its hidden biodiversity but also to find out how living things can survive such extreme conditions.

From National Geographic

The movie’s visuals, including its character design, were inspired by the lightly phantasmal, jauntily sinister illustrations that the artist Gris Grimly created for a 2003 edition of the Collodi book.

From New York Times

Dozens of Airbnb listings advertise phantasmal experiences as well, such as a “second-floor haunted oasis” or a “Phantoms Lair.”

From Seattle Times

On the question of what it’s like to echolocate like a bat or a dolphin, Yong posits that it might be like “touching with sound,” “It’s as if a dolphin is reaching out and squeezing its surroundings with phantasmal hands,” he writes.

From Washington Post

That phantasmal sound, that subliminal beat, untethered to time but bound to the Earth, informed Gay’s approach to the album.

From Washington Post