apparent suggests appearance to unaided senses that may or may not be borne out by more rigorous examination or greater knowledge.
the apparent cause of the accident
illusory implies a false impression based on deceptive resemblance or faulty observation, or influenced by emotions that prevent a clear view.
an illusory sense of security
seeming implies a character in the thing observed that gives it the appearance, sometimes through intent, of something else.
the seeming simplicity of the story
ostensible suggests a discrepancy between an openly declared or naturally implied aim or reason and the true one.
the ostensible reason for their visit
Examples of illusory in a Sentence
an illusory sense of security
Recent Examples on the WebHis original goal of seizing Kyiv and subjugating Ukraine proved foolish and illusory.—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024 But peace is illusory as long as Hamas remains in power.—Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024 Nowadays misinformation and fake news pose such a big problem because untrue statements get repeated through retweets, shares, etc.
Sunstein: Recognizing the strength of the illusory truth effect can create a degree of inoculation to defend against falsehoods.—Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 Featuring all of the hallmarks of an Irwin piece — its use of shadow, light and material to create an intimate, illusory effect — the installation, however incidental, served as something of a fitting tribute to a true master.—Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2023 Saito highlights the Netherlands Fallacy, named for that country’s illusory attainment of both high living standards and low levels of pollution—a reality achieved by displacing externalities.—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2024 Given China’s travails under Xi, such a vision is as illusory as ever.—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 17 Jan. 2024 Odom was but one victim of this illusory science; a 2015 report found hundreds of cases in which hair examiners made erroneous statements in inculpating defendants, including 33 cases that sent defendants to death row, nine of whom were already executed by the time the report saw daylight.—David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 8 Dec. 2023 The Rise of Deceptive Before-and-After Photos on Social Media
What’s behind the sharp uptick in illusory images?—Jolene Edgar, Allure, 1 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illusory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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