"apparition" | Definition and Related Words

Noun

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: fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, specter, spectre
The appearance of a ghostlike figure (synset 107338036)
"I was recalled to the present by the apparition of a frightening specter"

is a type of: appearance - the event of coming into sight
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: fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, phantom, shadow
An act of appearing or becoming visible unexpectedly (synset 100051304)
"natives were amazed at the apparition of this white stranger"

is a type of: appearance - the act of appearing in public view