1
as in illusory
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2
as in delusionary
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Recent Examples of delusional
And to be fair to Rivers, many people wondered aloud if Green was being unreasonable, incorrect, delusional or all of the above.
—
Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
The antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine, derived from a clothing dye called methylene blue, was first tested on agitated and delusional patients in 1952.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Viewers flooded the post with reactions ranging from heart-melting to hilariously delusional, with declarations of wanting to cuddle the bear and questions about the sheer size of his bathtub filling the comment section.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
Among the many obsessive bloggers and observers who cover the industry, the idea was mostly treated as so improbable, even delusional, as to be not even worth taking seriously.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Some incels use the term in a derogatory fashion, believing those who aspire to ascension are delusional.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 8 Apr. 2026
Warriors coach Steve Kerr emerged from the chaos that was Sunday’s 117-116 loss to Houston and offered a quote that felt like a Rorschach test for the delusional or drunk (off Steph Curry’s brilliance, of course).
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
When this fails to happen—and her hopes of marrying off a perfect daughter are dashed—Barbara grows hateful and ultimately delusional.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
The study found that a technological flaw already tied to some high-profile cases of delusional and suicidal behavior in vulnerable populations is also pervasive across a wide range of people’s interactions with chatbots.
—Matt O'Brien, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Zach Harper, New York Times, 7 May 2026
The antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine, derived from a clothing dye called methylene blue, was first tested on agitated and delusional patients in 1952.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Viewers flooded the post with reactions ranging from heart-melting to hilariously delusional, with declarations of wanting to cuddle the bear and questions about the sheer size of his bathtub filling the comment section.
—Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
Among the many obsessive bloggers and observers who cover the industry, the idea was mostly treated as so improbable, even delusional, as to be not even worth taking seriously.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Some incels use the term in a derogatory fashion, believing those who aspire to ascension are delusional.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 8 Apr. 2026
Warriors coach Steve Kerr emerged from the chaos that was Sunday’s 117-116 loss to Houston and offered a quote that felt like a Rorschach test for the delusional or drunk (off Steph Curry’s brilliance, of course).
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2026
When this fails to happen—and her hopes of marrying off a perfect daughter are dashed—Barbara grows hateful and ultimately delusional.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026
The study found that a technological flaw already tied to some high-profile cases of delusional and suicidal behavior in vulnerable populations is also pervasive across a wide range of people’s interactions with chatbots.
—Matt O'Brien, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusional
Adjective
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But the lower pump price is illusory, a mirage created by the RFS’s Rube Goldberg-like system of mandates and subsides which socialize the higher refining costs across all gasoline types.—
David Blackmon,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
The idea that transparency offers a route to closure is already proving illusory.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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When Kavanaugh asks if Patel really is paranoid enough to make FBI staffers take polygraph tests, Patel denies it.—
William Vaillancourt,
Rolling Stone,
10 May 2026
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Instead, Putin spends more time in underground bunkers micromanaging his war, paranoid about a coup or an assassination attempt by Ukrainian drones, sources told the Financial Times.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Adjective
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This isn’t callousness or delusive optimism but, rather, a rebellion against the suffocating expectation that the elderly have foreclosed the possibility of joy.—
Hillary Kelly,
The New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2024
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To separate art from its historical framework is futile, and to reject it in an effort to censor past violence is a delusive act of virtue signaling.—
WSJ,
WSJ,
5 July 2022
Adjective
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Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Moore acknowledged that Fahim was schizophrenic, but argued that the killings were driven by Fahim’s anger at his workplace dispute with Cuomo, not his mental illness.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
14 Apr. 2026
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In many-minded terms, an octopus’s natural life spans so many lives that the one-minded might call it unnatural or even schizophrenic.—
Mandy-Suzanne Wong,
Longreads,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Melissa, still one of the most obvious jelly shoe authorities, took the softer surreal lane with Susan Fang, bringing jelly into floral ballet flats, Sakura platform details and opaque-to-clear gradients.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
12 May 2026
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And finally… ▶️ Stunning rainbow cloud No, this surreal image isn’t AI-generated.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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Field’s neurotic, kvetching energy and Pullman’s drawlingly laidback presence spark off each other to amiable and spontaneous effect — enough so to show up the contrivances in the film’s secondary characters and subplots.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
7 May 2026
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This uber-neurotic comedian, actor, writer and now recording artist has spent the better part of two decades making audiences laugh, cringe, and cry, often within the same breath.—
Brittany Delay,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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To find Hydra, first locate the bright stars Chertan and Regulus in the constellation Leo and draw an imaginary line from the former to the latter, extending 20 degrees into open space.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 May 2026
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Artists in the 18th century would often include a person of color, who would sometimes be imaginary, in their portraits of wealthy white sitters to embellish the painting and highlight the high status of the main subject, according to the researchers.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delusional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delusional. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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