apparent suggests appearance to unaided senses that may or may not be borne out by more rigorous examination or greater knowledge.
the apparent cause of the accident
illusory implies a false impression based on deceptive resemblance or faulty observation, or influenced by emotions that prevent a clear view.
an illusory sense of security
seeming implies a character in the thing observed that gives it the appearance, sometimes through intent, of something else.
the seeming simplicity of the story
ostensible suggests a discrepancy between an openly declared or naturally implied aim or reason and the true one.
the ostensible reason for their visit
Examples of illusory in a Sentence
an illusory sense of security
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Perfect justice is illusory because our parents or birthplace are serendipitous.—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025 To me, the ending leaves as an open question whether Tóth has retreated to illusory safe ground or found a more hospitable home.—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025 But so far, at least, that cost savings largely has been illusory.—Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025 The developers have also added new skills related to the dodge roll, such as the ability to leave behind an illusory copy of your character to act as a decoy, which make the new mechanic feel essential to the modernized gameplay the sequel implements.—Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for illusory
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