delusion

de·lu·sion

noun \di-ˈlü-zhən, dē-\

Definition of DELUSION

1

: the act of deluding : the state of being deluded

2

a : something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated b : a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary; also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs

— de·lu·sion·al \-ˈlüzh-nəl, -ˈlü-zhə-n^əl\ adjective

— de·lu·sion·ary \-zhə-ˌner-ē\ adjective

Examples of DELUSION

1. He has delusions about how much money he can make at that job.
2. He is living under the delusion that he is incapable of making mistakes.
3. She is under the delusion that we will finish on time.
4. As the illness progressed, his delusions took over and he had violent outbursts.

Origin of DELUSION

Middle English, from Late Latin delusion-, delusio, from deludere

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to DELUSION

Synonyms: chimera, conceit, daydream, fantasy, dream, fancy, figment, hallucination, illusion, nonentity, phantasm (also fantasm), pipe dream, unreality, vision

Antonyms: truth, verity

Related Words: ignis fatuus, mirage, will-o'-the-wisp; brainchild, idea; concoction, fable, fabrication, fiction, invention; envisaging, imaging, visualization; cloud-cuckoo-land, cloudland, Shangri-la, utopia; daymare, nightmare

Near Antonyms: actuality, fact, reality

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of DELUSION

delusion, illusion, hallucination, mirage mean something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal. delusion implies an inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real, often as the result of a disordered state of mind <delusions of persecution>. illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines <an illusion of safety>. hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs <suffered from terrifying hallucinations>. mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim <claimed a balanced budget is a mirage>.

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Rhymes with DELUSION

affusion, allusion, Carthusian, collusion, conclusion, confusion, contusion, diffusion, effusion, elusion, exclusion, extrusion, illusion, inclusion, infusion, intrusion, Malthusian, obtrusion, occlusion, perfusion, prelusion, profusion, prolusion, protrusion, reclusion, seclusion, transfusion, Venusian