PHANTASMAGORIC Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

phantasmagoric

adjective

variants or phantasmagorical

Definition of phantasmagoric

as in hallucinatory

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of phantasmagoric Step into the wardrobe and enter Greta Gerwig’s phantasmagorical emporium of glam-rock excess. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026 Over the course of one phantasmagoric evening, Robin witnesses events that prefigure the Revolutionary War. — John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026 The action is punctuated by flash-frame collages that bring earlier and later observations together in a tumble of associations and hint at the drama’s mystical, phantasmagorical essence. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026 Today, the public district collection comprises some 35 large-scale murals, sculptures and installations, including the phantasmagoric exterior of its Museum Garage. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 Nov. 2025 The Land of Spooks is a phantasmagorical blend of twisting gothic spires, impossible land formations, and disconcerting expressionist proportions. — Kambole Campbell, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2025 As the two keepers' accelerating madness batters their already uneasy relationship, the film becomes a phantasmagorical endurance test, with the two antagonistic leads hurling themselves against their tight confinement. — Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for phantasmagoric

Adjective

In Bettmann Panopticon, which opened to the public in 1964 at the School of Visual Arts Visual Arts Gallery, Max and Daly had taken images from the archive and mirrored them for a hallucinatory effect.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
The year before, Khrzhanovsky had won a Tiger Award at Rotterdam for his first feature, the hallucinatory drama 4.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of hallucinatory

Adjective

At that point, the film pivots to a more surreal register, presenting bright, clear skies that are slowly, eerily engulfed in darkness.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Yuasa is known for surreal storytelling and a distinct anime visual style for films like Night is Short, Walk on Girl, Ride Your Wave, his directorial debut Mind Game and Lu Over the Wall, an Annecy award winner.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of surreal

Adjective

Yet these promises of a self-running state are illusory, because AI is never truly autonomous.

— Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
The algorithms selected patterns that were strikingly similar to those found in nature, so this illusory effect could be a major evolutionary driver.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of illusory

Adjective

What matters most is being comfortably inside the path and away from the hard edges, not standing on an imaginary line drawn through its middle.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Each nutty denunciation of his imaginary tormentors includes a plea for a presidential pardon.

— Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of imaginary

Adjective

Set in a small fictional town called Awatahi, the show explores the murder of 17-year-old Jodie Hunter.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
People have since replaced the imp with fictional people like Sam and Dean Winchester and Wednesday Addams, public figures like Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and even mascots like Ronald McDonald.

— Angela Yang, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of fictional

Adjective

The Swiss manufacturer has just unveiled a new lineup of Seamaster Diver 300Ms inspired by James Bond and Spectre, the fictitious crime org seen in the 007 flicks.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2026
The Russian security service’s Meliorator tool has been used to create over a thousand profiles of fictitious Americans, primarily on X (formerly Twitter), to spread Kremlin narratives at a fraction of the cost of human troll farms.

— Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of fictitious

Adjective

Yet, for millions living with untreatable neurological conditions, these chimeric rodents represent a crucial step forward — bringing the dark box of the human brain into the light.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
In a study published Wednesday in Nature, the Stanford team reported finding types of human cells inside the brains of 3-month-old chimeric mouse pups that are very hard to obtain in a dish.

— Megan Molteni, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of chimerical

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phantasmagorias

phantasmagoric

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“Phantasmagoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phantasmagoric. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of phantasmagoric

adjective

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