What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Phantasm vs Spook - What's the difference?

phantasm | spook |

As nouns the difference between phantasm and spook

is that phantasm is something seen but having no physical reality; a phantom or apparition while spook is a spirit returning to haunt a place.

As a verb spook is

to scare or frighten.

phantasm

English

Alternative forms

* fantasm

Noun

(en noun)
  • something seen but having no physical reality; a phantom or apparition.
  • * 1900 , Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams'', ''Avon Books , (translated by James Strachey) pg. 74:
    • He declares that there seems to be no justification for regarding the phantasms of dreams as pure hallucinations; most dream-images are probably in fact illusions, since they arise from faint sense-impressions, which never cease during sleep.

    Related terms

    * fancy * fantasize * fantastic * fantasy * phantom

    External links

    * * *

    spook

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A spirit returning to haunt a place.
    • The visit to the old cemetery brought scary visions of spooks and ghosts.
  • A ghost or an apparition.
    • The building was haunted by a couple of spooks .
  • A hobgoblin.
  • (espionage) A spy.
  • * 2009 , "Spies like them", BBC News Magazine (online), 24 July 2009:
    • From Ian Fleming to John Le Carre - authors have long been fascinated by the world of espionage. But, asks the BBC’s Gordon Corera, what do real life spooks make of fictional spies?
  • * 2012 , The Economist, Oct 13th 2012, Huawei and ZTE: Put on hold
    • The congressional study frets that Huawei’s and ZTE’s products could be used as Trojan horses by Chinese spooks .
  • A scare or fright.
    • The big spider gave me a spook .
  • (dated, pejorative) A black person.

    • Synonyms

    * See also

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To scare or frighten.
  • To startle or frighten an animal
    • The movement in the bushes spooked the deer and they ran.

    Derived terms

    * spookiness * spookish * spook out * spooky

    See also

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----