noun / adjective
phantom
FAN-tuhm/ˈfæntəm/
A figure appearing as a spirit.
A pale phantom glows softly in the quiet old corridor.
Etymology
An image or apparition can have the appearance of something real without its substance. This connects the ghostly sense of “phantom” with its broader use for something illusory or unreal.
In context
it was her plan to turn the tables on the burglar if there was one by suddenly appearing to him as an avenging phantom
More examples
- The audit uncovers phantom employees who never worked here.
- Police search for a phantom thief who leaves no clues.
- After the amputation, she still feels phantom pain in her missing foot.
Forms
phantom · phantoms
Similar words
- ghost
- Usually identifies the figure as a dead person's spirit.
- apparition
- Emphasizes the strange or sudden appearance of a ghostly figure.
- specter
- Suggests a frightening, haunting presence rather than merely a visible figure.