illusionist
Americannoun
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a conjurer or magician who creates illusions, as by sleight of hand.
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an adherent of illusionism.
noun
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a person given to illusions; visionary; dreamer
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philosophy a person who believes in illusionism
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an artist who practises illusionism
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a conjuror; magician
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of illusionist
Explanation
An illusionist is a magician, a person who performs stage magic to entertain audiences. The teenager on the sidewalk who does amazing card tricks for tips is an illusionist. Harry Houdini might be the most famous illusionist, specializing in escaping from what appeared to be impossible situations like being handcuffed and submerged in water. Other illusionists stick to pulling rabbits out of hats and quarters out of kids' ears. The earliest meaning of illusionist was "one who suffers from illusions," though it soon came to mean "one who creates illusions." The Latin root, illudere, means "to mock" or "to play at."
Vocabulary lists containing illusionist
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jareth is an illusionist as beguiling and seductive as he is sinister, caressing bubbles and gravity-defiant glass spheres with liquid grace.
From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026
A robe worn by the late comedy legend Tommy Cooper in his ill-fated final performance has been snapped up by famed American illusionist David Copperfield.
From BBC • Jul. 24, 2025
To hear some tell it, her neighbors included the famous illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini and his wife, Wilhelmina Beatrice Houdini.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2024
For Ms. Blackstone, that gig assisting the master illusionist Harry Blackstone Jr. turned into a love affair and, later, marriage.
From New York Times • Dec. 2, 2023
Remaining for the moment only two women sitting at a table, rather than a fortune-teller and an illusionist, an opportunity they are not frequently presented with.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
