DELUSION Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'delusion' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of delusion are hallucination , illusion , and mirage . While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," 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

Q: When can 'hallucination' be used instead of 'delusion'?

While in some cases nearly identical to delusion , hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs. // suffered from terrifying hallucinations

Q: Where would 'illusion' be a reasonable alternative to 'delusion'?

The synonyms illusion and delusion are sometimes interchangeable, but illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines. // an illusion of safety

Q: When is it sensible to use 'mirage' instead of 'delusion'?

The words mirage and delusion can be used in similar contexts, but mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim. // claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

delusion

noun

di-ˈlü-zhən

Definition of delusion next

as in illusion

a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality her idea that her new man is a long lost prince is surely just a delusion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in myth

a false idea or belief he appears to suffer from the delusion that he's the best reporter in the business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truth
verity

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun delusion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of delusion are hallucination, illusion, and mirage. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," 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 can hallucination be used instead of delusion?

While in some cases nearly identical to delusion, hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

Where would illusion be a reasonable alternative to delusion?

The synonyms illusion and delusion are sometimes interchangeable, but illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

When is it sensible to use mirage instead of delusion?

The words mirage and delusion can be used in similar contexts, but 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 delusion Call it manifestation, call it delusion (lovingly), call it a coping mechanism for ambition, but dressing for your future self is quietly becoming one of the most powerful styling frameworks of this moment. —

Essence, 1 Apr. 2026 The other path is pressing on in your delusions, hoping you will eventually be vindicated. —

Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026 Several reports find psychosis among those who are addicted and could result in hallucinations, delusions and confusion. —

Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 26 Mar. 2026 OpenAI is battling more than a dozen different death and harm suits, including one centered on a tragic murder-suicide allegedly spurred by ChatGPT reinforcing an unstable man’s paranoid delusions. —

Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for delusion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusion

Noun

Desperate customers were calling multiple brokers at once, creating the illusion of demand spikes that sent truck owners scrambling to raise prices, Biswas said.

— Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The converted car, filled with seats and fast-moving images LED screens, doesn’t go anywhere but gives you the illusion of traveling through agave fields.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026