illusionary

Also il·lu·sion·al

[ih-loo-zhuh-ner-ee]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterized by illusions; deceptive; misleading.

Other Word Forms

• nonillusional adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of illusionary¹

First recorded in 1885–90; illusion + -ary

Example Sentences

"Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," he said.

From BBC

"Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering."

From BBC

As top computer scientists have warned us, those algorithms are capable of remarkably inexplicable mistakes and, to use the AI term of the moment, "hallucinations" — that is, seemingly reasonable results that are entirely illusionary.

From Salon

Take the leaf top, which is more a work of illusionary art than a going out top, crafted from an actual Alocasia Macrorrhiza leaf bonded with jersey.

From Los Angeles Times

The four decades of failure of this organization, with the occasional illusionary success mixed in, has left Washington basketball fans disgusted — if they care that much anymore.

From Washington Times