Allusion and illusion may share some portion of their ancestry (both words come in part from the Latin word ludere, meaning “to play”), and sound quite similar, but they are distinct words with very different meanings. An allusion is an indirect reference, whereas an illusion is something that is unreal or incorrect. Each of the nouns has a related verb form: allude “to refer indirectly to,” and illude (not a very common word), which may mean “to delude or deceive” or “to subject to an illusion.”
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
Examples of illusion in a Sentence
The video game is designed to give the illusion that you are in control of an airplane.
They used paint to create the illusion of metal.
She says that all progress is just an illusion.
Recent Examples on the WebIn any event, as a former Israeli official told me, the prospect of eliminating Hezbollah’s missile forces entirely from the air is probably an illusion.—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 22 July 2024 The trompe l’oeil style creates the visual effect that tricks the viewer’s perception by use of patterns, prints and structural elements to create illusions of shape, depth and movement.—Renan Botelho, WWD, 19 July 2024 Nobody has the slightest illusion that these proposals emanate from anything other than the fact that there’s a conservative majority on the Court.—The Editors, National Review, 18 July 2024 To dress it up, keeping your top buttoned will create a dress illusion; just add your accessories and work bag to be chic and ready for whatever your workday ensues.—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for illusion
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illusion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin illusion-, illusio, from Latin, action of mocking, from illudere to mock at, from in- + ludere to play, mock — more at ludicrous
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