Phantom: Something That Appears and Is Not There
A phantom is a ghost or an illusion. Medicine uses the word precisely, for sensations in a limb that has been removed.
A phantom is an apparition, or anything that seems present and is not. Medicine gives the word one of its most striking uses: a *phantom limb* is the vivid sensation of a limb that has been amputated, sometimes including pain, and it is a real neurological phenomenon rather than imagination.
- A ghost. *A phantom in the corridor.*
- Something illusory. *Phantom savings.*
- Phantom limb — sensation in a missing limb. *Phantom limb pain.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | phantom | A grey phantom. |
| Plural | phantoms | Phantoms of the past. |
| Adjective | phantom | Phantom pain. |
| Related | phantasm | A phantasm of the mind. |
| Related | fantasy | Pure fantasy. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He felt a phantom vibration in his pocket.A modern minor version of the phenomenon.
- The savings turned out to be phantom.Meaning they did not exist.
- Phantom limb pain can persist for years.Treated with mirror therapy among other methods.
Words for apparitions
- Ghost — the plain word
- Phantom — slightly more literary
- Spectre — a frightening apparition, and a looming threat
- Apparition — an appearance, especially unexpected
- Wraith — Scottish in origin, often a double of a living person
From Old French *fantosme*, from Greek *phantasma*, an appearance, from *phainein*, to show — the same root as *fantasy*, *phase* and *diaphanous*.
Is phantom limb pain real?
Yes. It is a recognised neurological condition arising from changes in the nervous system after amputation, not something imagined.
Phantom or ghost?
They mean the same. Phantom is more formal and is preferred in compounds such as phantom limb and phantom traffic jam.