1
as in illusory
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2
as in delusionary
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Recent Examples of delusional
What if a slightly delusional but still charming actress faded toward irrelevance, only to claw her way back by way of a reality TV show?
—
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Satoskar says the inaccurate information that influencers are sharing about parasites might encourage people, including those with delusional parasitosis, to make risky health decisions.
—Sarah Boden, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
The villains in this TikTok trend are clear, with most of the videos poking fun at narcissistic, annoying, or outright delusional people that just seem to be an inescapable part of life these days.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
Which is not to say Yee is delusional.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
To the delusional, reality is an illusion.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026
Which is not to say Yee is delusional.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
They've been called delusional.
—Scott Pelley, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
For people struggling with delusional disorders, a system that consistently validates their beliefs may weaken their ability to conduct internal reality checks.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Satoskar says the inaccurate information that influencers are sharing about parasites might encourage people, including those with delusional parasitosis, to make risky health decisions.
—Sarah Boden, NPR, 16 Mar. 2026
The villains in this TikTok trend are clear, with most of the videos poking fun at narcissistic, annoying, or outright delusional people that just seem to be an inescapable part of life these days.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
Which is not to say Yee is delusional.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
To the delusional, reality is an illusion.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026
Which is not to say Yee is delusional.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
They've been called delusional.
—Scott Pelley, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
For people struggling with delusional disorders, a system that consistently validates their beliefs may weaken their ability to conduct internal reality checks.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusional
Adjective
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These young graduates start out naive about the heartlessness of the corporate world and harbor illusory hopes for success in unforgiving professions.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2026
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But many experts caution that predictions of communist rule ending have proved illusory.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Such hallucinatory citations are, according to judges and lawyers, troubling at a variety of levels, not the least of which is their threat to the integrity of the judicial system.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2026
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And there’s still almost an hour of film left to go, in which everyone, including the audience, is in a sort of hallucinatory, post traumatic daze — but even the relative comfort of that won’t last long.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Changing your locks is pragmatic, not paranoid.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
11 Mar. 2026
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What follows is a crusade of detours, espionage and a paranoid struggle to preserve the only home he’s ever known.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
10 Mar. 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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The ongoing controversy surrounding the police shooting of a mentalliy ill Queens schizophrenic man who charged at cops with a knife ratcheted up a notch Wednesday with the release of 911 audio the NYPD says makes clear police were going to be responding to the episode.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
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The most compelling aspect of Newsom’s biography is his schizophrenic upbringing, vis-à-vis wealth.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Starring Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield and Demi Moore, the film takes Riley’s stylistic blend of surreal comedy and political critique into the world of fast fashion.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
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The amount of talent on the field at the same time was, indeed, surreal.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Streisand, who played the neurotic, political firebrand Katie Morosky opposite Redford's WASPy Hubbell Gardiner in the 1973 romantic drama, performed a song and delivered a speech honoring him during the Oscars' In Memoriam segment.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
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But one of the key flaws of Drew Goddard’s screenplay is that once Ryland is on the ship, that neurotic aspect of him isn’t sustained.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Draw an imaginary line between the two and follow it out into space for roughly the same distance again.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Mar. 2026
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What better way to cap our season-long coverage of a conference that doesn’t exist than to hand out imaginary awards?—
Jon Wilner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Delusional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delusional. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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