phantom

1. A ghostly appearing figure (synset 109570240)
   "we were unprepared for the apparition that confronted us"
   is a type of: disembodied spirit, spirit - any incorporeal supernatural being that can become visible (or audible) to human beings
   subtypes: flying dutchman - the captain of a phantom ship (the Flying Dutchman) who was condemned to sail against the wind until Judgment Day
   same as: apparition, fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, specter, spectre
2. Something existing in perception only (synset 105906160)
   "a ghostly apparition at midnight"
   is a type of: illusion, semblance - an erroneous mental representation
   subtypes:

   • flying saucer, ufo, unidentified flying object - an (apparently) flying object whose nature is unknown; especially those considered to have extraterrestrial origins
   • flying dutchman - a phantom ship that is said to appear in storms near the Cape of Good Hope
   • ghost, shade, specter, spectre, spook, wraith - a mental representation of some haunting experience
   same as: apparition, fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, shadow

1. Something apparently sensed but having no physical reality (synset 301946019)
   "seemed to hear faint phantom bells"; "the amputee's illusion of a phantom limb"
   similar to: unreal - not actually such; being or seeming fanciful or imaginary

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