Synonym Chooser

How does the noun illusion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of illusion are delusion, hallucination, and mirage. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

When is delusion a more appropriate choice than illusion?

While the synonyms delusion and illusion are close in meaning, 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

When could hallucination be used to replace illusion?

In some situations, the words hallucination and illusion are roughly equivalent. However, hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

When might mirage be a better fit than illusion?

The words mirage and illusion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.

claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illusion The tension between the illusion of your longings and the transformation taking place could be strong right now. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 18 June 2025 The arc on the writers’ room wall gives you an illusion of control and intention, but the real road is unknowable. Mickey Down, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025 These twin illusions—lead-time bias and length-time bias—cast a flattering light on screening efforts. Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025 Lansky is under no illusion that Yiddish will be revived as a spoken language outside of the haredi Orthodox community. Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusion
Noun
  • Ps ur avocado toast is on the long list of reasons why ur my dream wife.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 26 June 2025
  • Being from New York, it’s always been a dream of mine to play professionally here.
    Jenn Nelson, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • Among these, schizophrenia, a complex mental health condition marked by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, stands out.
    William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • Ultimately, there may be no way for Israel to escape its smart-bomb delusion—or another quagmire in the Middle East.
    Robert A. Pape, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • The Old Guard 2 — a sequel to the Charlize Theron fantasy superhero hit from 2020 — arrives on Netflix this week.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • Set in a fantasy version of early 1900s Japan, the series focuses on the adventures Tanjiro Kamado, an ordinary boy whose peaceful life in the mountains is disrupted when demons murder his family.
    Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • When the photographer Víctor Zea was a child living in Lima, Peru, he was taught an Inca myth of origin.
    Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
  • Getting up to speed on the modern-day reality of actual EV usage and charging habits proves to be the antidote to overcoming the ever-fading yet persistent myth of range anxiety.
    Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • From $635 per night. La Réserve feels a bit like a daydream manifested.
    Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2025
  • Zooey Deschanel is living in a Screen Actors Guild Awards daydream.
    Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 6 May 2025
Noun
  • Many small business workers may not have digital access or face language barriers when missing paperwork or tech errors can result in automatic loss of coverage.
    Rhett Buttle, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • That poll surveyed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19, and has a weighted margin of error of 5.25 percent.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • Just to the south, there is a vision for a regional transportation center, plus apartments on the site of the decaying One Talcott Plaza.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2025
  • Although Disney could have made Underworld, as well as Lucas' vision of the Sequel Trilogy, time has shown us the company took a different path with the franchise.
    Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.
    Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
  • The title is the latest from Naughty Dog, a studio with a reputation for games that aspire to the aesthetics and prestige of cinema, with memorable characters that behave realistically despite the unreality of video games.
    Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusion. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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