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hallucination

[ huh-loo-suh-ney-shuhn ]
/ həˌlu səˈneɪ ʃən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hallucination

noun

a sensory experience of something that does not exist outside the mind, caused by various physical and mental disorders, or by reaction to certain toxic substances, and usually manifested as visual or auditory images.
the sensation caused by a hallucinatory condition or the object or scene visualized.
a false notion, belief, or impression;illusion; delusion.

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Origin of hallucination

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin hallūcinātiōn- (stem of (h)allūcinātiō ) “a wandering of the mind”; see hallucinate, -ion

SYNONYMS FOR hallucination

1 phantasm, aberration.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hallucination

synonym study for hallucination

1. See illusion.

OTHER WORDS FROM hallucination

hal·lu·ci·na·tion·al, hal·lu·ci·na·tive [huh-loo-suh-ney-tiv, -nuh-tiv], /həˈlu səˌneɪ tɪv, -nə tɪv/, adjectivenon·hal·lu·ci·na·tion, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hallucination

delusion, hallucination , illusion (see synonym study at illusion)

Words nearby hallucination

Hallstatt, Hallstattan, hall tree, hallucal, hallucinate, hallucination, hallucinatory, hallucinogen, hallucinogenic, hallucinosis, hallux
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to hallucination

phantom, illusion, phantasmagoria, aberration, apparition, fantasy, mirage, phantasm, trip, vision, wraith, head trip

Example sentences from the Web for hallucination

British Dictionary definitions for hallucination

hallucination
/ (həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən) /

noun

the alleged perception of an object when no object is present, occurring under hypnosis, in some mental disorders, etc

Derived forms of hallucination

hallucinational, hallucinative or hallucinatory, adjective
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

Medical definitions for hallucination

hallucination
[ hə-lōō′sə-nā′shən ]

n.

False or distorted perception of objects or events with a compelling sense of their reality, usually resulting from a mental disorder or drug.
The objects or events so perceived.

Other words from hallucination

hal•lu′ci•nate′ v.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cultural definitions for hallucination

hallucination

A false perception that appears to be real, as when, for example, a man dying of thirst in a desert thinks that he sees a lake. (See also delusion.)

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.