Phantasmagoria

//ˌfæntæzməˈɡɒɹi.ə// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A popular 18th- and 19th-century form of theater entertainment whereby ghostly apparitions are formed. historical
  2. 2
    a constantly changing medley of real or imagined images (as in a dream) wordnet
  3. 3
    A series of events involving rapid changes in light intensity and color.
  4. 4
    A dreamlike state where real and imagined elements are blurred together.

    "this mental phantasmagoria"

Synonyms

All synonyms
apparitionappearancecosmoramacycloramadioramadisplay

Example

More examples

"The horizon turned crimson with all the flames of the vanished sun; and long, red clouds, set motionless in the sky, formed glorious landscapes, fantastic lagoons, fiery plains, forests of gold, lakes of blood, a whole glowing and peaceful phantasmagoria."

Etymology

Borrowed from French phantasmagorie, from Ancient Greek φάντασμα (phántasma, “ghost”) + possibly either ἀγορά (agorá, “assembly, gathering”) + the suffix -ia or ἀγορεύω (agoreúō, “to speak publicly”).

Related phrases

magic lantern

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.