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 Words From

• phantom·like 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

For most of the running time, it keeps politics on the margins, like a phantom presence looming over the members of one bourgeois family’s everyday lives.

From New York Times

The track is alive with phantom creaks and a chilling atmosphere; it sounds like it was recorded in the attic of a haunted house.

From New York Times

Too many white Americans today still fail to see clearly, and continue to chase phantoms instead of reality.

From Salon

Nothing new about a Trump family member inventing phantom oppressors to claim victim status.

From Salon

Snap’s glasses can track a person’s hands, allowing users to pick up and assemble virtual Legos, swing a phantom golf club, draw with friends and punch numbers in a digital calculator.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hallucination