definitions

delusional

[ dih-loo-zhuh-nl ]
/ dɪˈlu ʒə nl /

adjective

having false or unrealistic beliefs or opinions: Senators who think they will get agreement on a comprehensive tax bill are delusional.
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.

Nearby words

deluge, delusion, delusion of grandeur, delusion of negation, delusion of persecution, delusional, delusive, delusterant, delustering, deluxe, delvaux
Sometimes de·lu·sion·ar·y.

Definition for delusionary (2 of 2)

delusion

[ dih-loo-zhuhn ]
/ dɪˈlu ʒən /

noun

an act or instance of deluding.
the state of being deluded.
a false belief or opinion: delusions of grandeur.
Psychiatry. a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact: a paranoid delusion.

Origin of delusion

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin dēlūsiōn- (stem of dēlūsiō), equivalent to dēlūs(us) (past participle of dēlūdere; see delude) + -iōn- -ion

SYNONYMS FOR delusion

1 deception. See illusion.

Related forms

de·lu·sion·al, de·lu·sion·ar·y, adjectivepre·de·lu·sion, noun

Can be confused

allusion delusion elusion hallucination illusion (see synonym study at illusion)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for delusionary

delusion

/ (dɪˈluːʒən) /

noun

a mistaken or misleading opinion, idea, belief, etche has delusions of grandeur
psychiatry a belief held in the face of evidence to the contrary, that is resistant to all reasonSee also illusion, hallucination
the act of deluding or state of being deluded

Derived Forms

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for delusionary

delusion

[ dĭ-lōō′zhən ]

n.

A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness.

Related forms

de•lu′sion•al adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for delusionary

delusion

[ dĭ-lōō′zhən ]

A false belief or perception strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness, as in schizophrenia.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for delusionary

delusion

A false belief held despite strong evidence against it; self-deception. Delusions are common in some forms of psychosis. Because of his delusions, the literary character Don Quixote attacks a windmill, thinking it is a giant.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.