1. something that exists only in one’s mind; an illusion or figment of imagination
2. a ghost or apparition
Usage: literary

Examples

• The desert heat created phantasms of water where none existed.
• She dismissed her fears as mere phantasms of an overactive imagination.
• The old castle was said to be haunted by phantasms from centuries past.
• His guilt manifested as phantasms that tormented his sleep.
• The fever brought on phantasms that seemed terrifyingly real.
• What he thought was a burglar turned out to be a phantasm created by shadows and moonlight.