hallucinatory

adjective

hal·​lu·​ci·​na·​to·​ry hə-ˈlü-sə-nə-ˌtȯr-ē 

-ˈlüs-nə-

1

: tending to produce hallucination

hallucinatory drugs

2

: resembling, involving, or being a hallucination

hallucinatory dreams

a hallucinatory figure

Examples of hallucinatory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The resulting feature is enigmatic and lightly campy, strange and hallucinatory, taking place in a liminal futuristic city that’s clogged with thick mist and terrorized by a violent serial killer named Leather Man. —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 18 May 2026

The viewer and characters never quite know what’s transpiring as Lang expertly guides the plot with hallucinatory shots of the crime, a mirror motif, and a journalist-versus-police race to find the culprit. —Air Mail, 16 May 2026

This transformation could signify a hallucinatory experience rather than a physical transmutation, indicating a tradition of pharmacological knowledge. —Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026

Experts say the directive could expedite studies on how psychedelic and hallucinatory drugs such as MDMA, psilocybin, LSD and ibogaine may be useful in medicine. —Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hallucinatory

• adjudicatory
• anticipatory
• articulatory
• classificatory
• conciliatory
• congratulatory
• discriminatory
• ejaculatory
• emancipatory
• interlaboratory
• interrogatory
• investigatory

Kids Definition

hallucinatory

adjective

hal·​lu·​ci·​na·​to·​ry hə-ˈlü-sə-nə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

1

: tending to produce hallucinations

2

: resembling, involving, or being a hallucination

Medical Definition

hallucinatory

adjective

hal·​lu·​ci·​na·​to·​ry hə-ˈlüs-ᵊn-ə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˈlüs-nə-, -ˌtȯr- 

1

: tending to produce hallucinations

hallucinatory drugs

2

: resembling, involving, or being a hallucination

hallucinatory dreams

a hallucinatory figure

hallucinatorily

-ˌtōr-ə-lē, -ˌtȯr- 

adverb