delusional

Sometimes de·lusion·ary

[dih-loo-zhuh-nl]

adjective

1. having false or unrealistic beliefs or opinions.

   Senators who think they will get agreement on a comprehensive tax bill are delusional.

2. Psychiatry.,  maintaining fixed false beliefs even when confronted with facts, usually as a result of mental illness.

   He was so delusional and paranoid that he thought everybody was conspiring against him.

Word History and Origins

Origin of delusional¹

First recorded in 1850–60; delusion ( def. ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

He also expressed openness to talks if the United States dropped its "delusional" demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.

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He said Earl "led a rather nihilistic existence which involved taking drugs" and "saw the world through the desperate, pathetic and delusional prism of online gaming".

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“It is grossly illegal, it’s immoral, it’s rather delusional.”

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The comments sharply contrast with those of Mike Huckabee, the US's ambassador in Israel, who said a UK minister was "delusional" for suggesting the UK played a "key role" in the process.

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The rhetoric used to justify those laws often mirrors the narratives promoted by “anti-woke” media like The Free Press: That trans people are dangerous, delusional or in need of saving.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• unrealistic