eidolon

eidolon — noun

1. In literature and poetry, the spirit of a dead person that appears as a shadowy

1.nounC2
Definition

In literature and poetry, the spirit of a dead person that appears as a shadowy shape without a real physical body.

Example

A widow sees the eidolon of her husband walking by the river at night.

eidolon of + a deceased person in a narrative setting

Rania felt a chill and glimpsed the eidolon of her grandmother in the empty hall.

Common collocations
  • eidolon of + person
  • shadowy eidolon
  • pale eidolon
  • glimpse the eidolon
Synonyms
  • phantom

    More common; can also mean something that seems real but does not exist

  • apparition

    Suggests a sudden or striking appearance, often with supernatural overtones

  • spectre

    UK spelling; carries a slightly more ominous or threatening tone

  • ghost

    Much more common and less formal; the everyday word for a dead person's spirit

Antonyms
  • reality

    The opposite of an unsubstantial phantom

  • substance

    Something physically real and solid

Grammar Patterns

eidolon + of + person

Usage Note

Almost always found in literary, poetic, or formal writing. Not used in everyday speech. Commonly followed by 'of + a specific person' (e.g., 'the eidolon of her father').

2. A perfect mental image of a person or object that exists chiefly in the mind, no

2.nounC2
Definition

A perfect mental image of a person or object that exists chiefly in the mind, not in the real world.

Example

In his poems, the woman is not real but an eidolon of perfect grace.

contrast: not real but an eidolon of + abstract quality

Aoi carried the eidolon of the seaside town she had left as a small child.

Common collocations
  • eidolon of + abstract noun
  • perfect eidolon
  • chase an eidolon
  • carry the eidolon of
Synonyms
  • ideal

    More common and less poetic; can function as both noun and adjective

  • archetype

    Original model or pattern; more about the first example than a personal ideal

  • paragon

    A model of excellence in a specific quality, narrower in scope

Antonyms
  • reality

    The actual imperfect thing versus the perfect image in the mind

  • flawed version

    The imperfect real-life counterpart of an idealized image

Grammar Patterns

eidolon + of + abstract noun

possessive + eidolon

Usage Note

Often appears with a possessive or an adjective before it (e.g., 'her eidolon of justice', 'a perfect eidolon'). Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 describes an imagined ideal or perfect form, not a ghostly apparition.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Eidolon is the most literary and rarest of these four. Phantom is more common and can describe anything that seems real but is not (e.g., 'a phantom pain'). Apparition suggests a sudden, often dramatic supernatural appearance, carrying a stronger sense of surprise or fear. Spectre (UK) or specter (US) leans slightly ominous, often implying a threatening or warning presence. Ghost is the everyday word for the spirit of a dead person — it is far more common and neutral in tone. Where eidolon evokes poetic or formal writing, ghost fits any register from casual conversation to formal prose. For example, you would say 'I saw a ghost in the old house' in ordinary speech, but 'a solitary eidolon drifted across the moonlit heath' only in a poem or gothic novel.

phantomapparitionspectreghost

Common collocations

Phrases

  • an eidolon of

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

From Greek εἴδωλον (eidōlon), meaning 'image, form, likeness,' derived from εἶδος (eidos) 'form, shape, appearance.' The word entered English in the early 1600s via Latin eidōlon. The same Greek root also gives us 'idol,' 'idea,' and 'eidetic' — all related to images, forms, or mental pictures.

First known use

1763

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1