illusion
something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.
the state or condition of being deceived; misapprehension.
an instance of being deceived.
Psychology. a perception, as of visual stimuli (optical illusion ), that represents what is perceived in a way different from the way it is in reality.
a very thin, delicate tulle of silk or nylon having a cobwebbed appearance, for trimmings, veilings, and the like.
Obsolete. the act of deceiving; deception; delusion.
Origin of illusion
1synonym study For illusion
Other words for illusion
Other words from illusion
- il·lu·sioned, adjective
Words that may be confused with illusion
- 1. allusion, elusion, illusion
- 2. delusion, hallucination, illusion (see synonym study at the current entry)
Words Nearby illusion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use illusion in a sentence
Because tech stocks have been soaring to new highs lately, investors should have no illusions about the cost of the shares they’re considering buying.
Investors riding high on Apple and Tesla stock splits could get clipped, data shows | rhhackettfortune | August 31, 2020 | FortuneTo give my students the illusion of eye contact, I learned to stare at the green light on my MacBook Air.
Several more recent studies conducted on individuals living in war and earthquake zones mirror Sosis’ finding that rituals give participants a sense — or a comforting illusion — of control over the uncontrollable.
Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic? | Sujata Gupta | August 14, 2020 | Science NewsThe team wanted the site to look as Mars-like as possible, no factories, footprints or foliage to break the illusion.
To rehearse Perseverance’s mission, scientists pretended to be a Mars rover | Lisa Grossman | July 29, 2020 | Science NewsWe should be looking at these if we have any illusions of sending kids back to school.
How To Make Indoor Air Safer | Kaleigh Rogers (kaleigh.rogers@fivethirtyeight.com) | July 20, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Traditional coach seats gave the illusion of comfortable padding but were angular, not reflecting body shapes.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room | Clive Irving | November 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd we are under no illusion that this state of affairs is confined to one battalion.
You said, “freedom of speech is an illusion” and “freedom of assembly is an illusion.”
Julian Casablancas Enters the Void: On the Strokes’ Friction, Why He Left NYC, and Starting Over | Marlow Stern | October 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDemocracy is an illusion, freedom of speech is an illusion, freedom of assembly is an illusion.
Julian Casablancas Enters the Void: On the Strokes’ Friction, Why He Left NYC, and Starting Over | Marlow Stern | October 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn the surface, In Situ appears less disruptive than its alternative, but this is only an illusion.
But the growing crops are too cleanly and carefully weeded and too uniformly good to protract the illusion.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyAll this I admit to be the fever of the mind—a waking dream—an illusion to which mesmerism or magic is but a frivolity.
The burning atmosphere, the motionless air caused doubtless the optical illusion.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodNor wilt thou rest forever, weary heart.The last illusion is destroyed,That I eternal thought.
The Poems of Giacomo Leopardi | Giacomo LeopardiFrom the first entrance, to the last cry of triumph or despair, the illusion was perfect.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky | Modeste Tchaikovsky
British Dictionary definitions for illusion
/ (ɪˈluːʒən) /
a false appearance or deceptive impression of reality: the mirror gives an illusion of depth
a false or misleading perception or belief; delusion: he has the illusion that he is really clever
psychol a perception that is not true to reality, having been altered subjectively in some way in the mind of the perceiver: See also hallucination
a very fine gauze or tulle used for trimmings, veils, etc
Origin of illusion
1Derived forms of illusion
- illusionary or illusional, adjective
- illusioned, 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
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