illusionist

1 of 2

noun

il·​lu·​sion·​ist i-ˈlü-zh(ə-)nist 

: a person who produces illusory effects: such as

a

: a sleight-of-hand performer or a magician

b

: one (such as an artist) whose work is marked by illusionism

illusionistic

i-ˌlü-zhə-ˈni-stik 

adjective

illusionistically

i-ˌlü-zhə-ˈni-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

illusionistic

2 of 2

adjective

il·​lu·​sion·​is·​tic

: of, relating to, or marked by illusionism

illusionistic devices have been abundant in sculpture

—P. A. Sorokin

illusionistically adverb

… constructions that mix illusionistically rendered objects with geometric abstraction …

—Jack Flam, Wall Street Journal, 9 Mar. 1988

Synonyms of illusionist

Noun

• magician

Examples of illusionist in a Sentence

Noun

tried to figure out how the illusionist made his assistant disappear from the stage

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sawing a person in half is an illusionist’s staple. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2026

Tuesday's episode of America's Got Talent featured illusionists Young and Strange. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026

In between their act and the DJ’s, who, at this point unsurprisingly, wore a white ecru suit for her set and, also naturally, was some sort of princess or European aristocrat, we were treated to a few terrific bits by an illusionist. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 17 June 2026

Magician Andi Gladwin becomes an unlikely citizen detective, joining a team of illusionists to track down internet pirates who steal their secrets and resell them online. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 6 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

illusion + -ist entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

illusionist

noun

il·​lu·​sion·​ist i-ˈlü-zhə-nist 

: a person who produces illusions

especially : a performer of sleight of hand or a magician