ignis fatuus

noun

Definition of ignis fatuusnext
as in pipe dream

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ignis fatuus Several sources say ignis fatuus, a spark of swamp gas, is the likely cause of the strange light. — Fox News, 3 Mar. 2023 The story also helped explain ignis fatuus, a natural phenomenon that occurs in marshlands and bogs—such as those in Ireland’s countryside—producing flickering lights as gases from decomposing organic matter combust. — National Geographic, 27 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignis fatuus
  1. pipe dream
  2. mirage
  3. chimera
  4. will-o'-the-wisp
  5. delusion
  6. unreality
  7. daydream
Noun
  • Super Bowl is a pipe dream so why not just develop and compete.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Without hands-free charging, fully autonomous robotaxi fleets remain a pipe dream.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pipe dream
Noun
  • Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia — The area appears like a high-tech mirage.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • For others, the deck has been stacked against them for so long that the path to glory is more of a mirage than reality.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of mirage
Noun
  • The new era of worker power that labor advocates proclaimed as the pandemic ebbed was something of a chimera.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Mixed into a suspension of cellulose nanoparticles and then frozen, the customised chimera formed a flexible molecular skeleton that dramatically increases the tensile strength of the surrounding ice.
    — Mike McRae September 16, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of chimera
Noun
  • As the guitar-strumming will-o'-the-wisp Maria von Trapp, Julie Andrews taught us a few of her favorite things.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Definition of will-o'-the-wisp
Noun
  • In a number of wrongful death lawsuits, ChatGPT is blamed for driving users to experience harmful delusions and, in some cases, to commit suicide.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But a line like that also fleshes out the head-in-the-stratosphere delusions of everyone here.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of delusion
Noun
  • Cignetti’s Hoosiers have warped this choice, bending expectations into a soft pretzel of unreality.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Subverting the unassuming realism of the city with the twisted unreality of this level design not only heightens the uncanny factor but also unlocks more design creativity.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of unreality
Noun
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Walking through prewar Berlin, taking in its historic architecture, Susanna daydreams of her native New York, an ever-changing city where buildings are torn down and rebuilt in the blink of an eye.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of daydream

Browse Nearby Words

ignes fatui
ignis fatuus
ignitable
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Cite this Entry

“Ignis fatuus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignis%20fatuus. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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