Synonym Chooser

How does the noun illusion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of illusion are delusion, hallucination, and mirage. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

When is delusion a more appropriate choice than illusion?

While the synonyms delusion and illusion are close in meaning, delusion implies an inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real, often as the result of a disordered state of mind.

delusions of persecution

When could hallucination be used to replace illusion?

In some situations, the words hallucination and illusion are roughly equivalent. However, hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

When might mirage be a better fit than illusion?

The words mirage and illusion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.

claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

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 illusion Nobody should be under any illusion that the infighting will stop anytime soon. Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2025 There’s this illusion that whatever happens in Thailand stays in Thailand. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025 And few can bear to lose all their other illusions. Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Apr. 2025 That’s the cost of such rigorous theming: Since you’re supposed to be inside a game, anything that gets in the way of that illusion is banned. Todd Anderson, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusion
Noun
  • The bottom line: Uncle Sam's collection hat ruined the dream.
    Jason Clayworth, Axios, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Big advances in artificial intelligence have renewed some scientists’ dream of eventually understanding what dolphins are saying.
    Melissa Hobson, Scientific American, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Researchers noted the positive effects of ecstatic epilepsy and synthesized fifty-three theoretical models of delusion.
    Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Some might suggest that these delusions of grandeur are designed to tranquilize the nervous masses; regardless, the public obviously craves them.
    Lauren Stienstra, Time, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The Film Says A Lot Without Saying Much This is a fantasy adventure film that involves mythical creatures.
    DeVonne Goode, Parents, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Heisserer most recently served as the showrunner, executive producer and writer of the Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone, based on Leigh Bardugo’s bestselling Grishaverse novels.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • First, there is the technology myth, the belief that older employees cannot keep pace with digital advancements.
    Dan Pontefract, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Because Jordan only gets better and better in memory and myth.
    Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The video poignantly contrasts between a life with and without the threat of gun violence through a little girl’s daydream.
    Kara Nesvig, Parents, 10 Mar. 2025
  • But true love isn’t built in daydreams—it’s built in real-time, with real people.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Graham Pauley singled and advanced to third when a fielder’s choice turned into a throwing error on Bohm.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Story’s two homers made up for two errors the normally sure-handed shortstop made in the field, one throwing and one fielding.
    Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Fans have bought into the vision of multiple general managers and the potential of a long list of high draft picks.
    Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Though these creators share a state in common, their perspectives are vastly different, informed by their international backgrounds, personal history, creative vision and varying media.
    Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • All those books teaching parents how to take care of their children—the first year, the first eighteen months, the first five or ten years—none of them addresses this difficulty: for parents and for children, the border between reality and unreality is not always clearly marked.
    Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
  • As the novel progresses, this sense of unreality sharpens.
    Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusion. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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