apparition
1 of 1noun/ˌæpəˈrɪʃən/
Forms:apparitions
1
the visible form or appearance of a ghost or spirit of someone who has died
- A pale apparition appeared at the end of the hallway.
- The villagers claimed to have seen the apparition of the old king.
- She awoke to find an apparition standing by her bed.
- The story tells of an apparition haunting the lighthouse.
- He was startled by an apparition in the mirror's reflection.
2
the sudden or unexpected appearance of someone or something
- The apparition of the ship on the horizon gave them hope.
- Her sudden apparition in the doorway startled everyone.
- The magician's trick involved the apparition of a dove.
- With the apparition of the sun, the fog began to lift.
- The apparition of the long-lost friend brought tears to his eyes.
3
something that seems real to the senses but has no physical reality
- The oasis in the desert was only an apparition.
- Fame proved to be an apparition, disappearing as quickly as it came.
- The figure in the mist turned out to be an apparition of his imagination.
- To the tired traveler, the lights were merely an apparition.
- The promise of endless wealth was an apparition, not reality.