1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

delusional

adjective

1
as in illusory

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in delusionary

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 delusional Almost every great performer is at some point in their life delusional. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026 In February, Patrick Collison told TBPN there was a reasonable chance Q1 2026 would be remembered as the first quarter of the singularity, adding that in hindsight the claim might look completely delusional. — Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 But just as Dunham inadvertently evokes strong, sometimes delusional emotions in both her peers and the public, so does Portman. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026 Today, Paine’s delusional sense of the possible has resurfaced in the enthusiasm of many young people for socialism. — George F. Will, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2026 So much so, in fact, that cybersecurity researchers warn that criminals can easily weaponize delusional AI outputs to spread malware throughout the internet. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 29 July 2026 Of course, many fans of clubs are so delusional that the facts are irrelevant. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 23 July 2026 For Slattery, what begins as an exercise in comic self-demolition gradually becomes the movie’s biggest surprise, with the actor turning a desperate, delusional version of himself into its most unexpectedly lovable character. — Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 Grief experts are wary of these potential harms, too — especially since several major AI companies faced wrongful death lawsuits claiming AI chatbots encouraged self-harm or pushed users into delusional mental states. — Ella Chakarian, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusional
  1. illusory
  2. paranoid
  3. hallucinatory
  4. schizophrenic
  5. delusive
  6. neurotic
  7. surreal
  8. schizoid
Adjective
  • His prayerful recognition of God’s supremacy and government of the universe refreshed his heart and lifted his thought above the human fears and limitations that plague an illusory, material sense of existence.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026
  • For a while, these institutions appeared capable of operating without their founding cause, but that hope proved illusory.
    — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of illusory
Adjective
  • That applies to everyone from paranoid conspiracy theorists to presidents.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In outline, these are elegant Bond-villain machines for faceless, leaderless, pervasive espionage and assassination, the stuff of paranoid nightmares and stochastic violence.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of paranoid
Adjective
  • In Bettmann Panopticon, which opened to the public in 1964 at the School of Visual Arts Visual Arts Gallery, Max and Daly had taken images from the archive and mirrored them for a hallucinatory effect.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The year before, Khrzhanovsky had won a Tiger Award at Rotterdam for his first feature, the hallucinatory drama 4.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of hallucinatory
Adjective
  • These days, large language models are pushing the line between schizophrenic break and reality closer than ever before.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 9 Sep. 2026
  • As her life is starting, her mother suffers from an acute schizophrenic episode.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 16 June 2026
Definition of schizophrenic
Adjective
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of delusive
Adjective
  • Vocelle finds criticism that cat dads are seen as feminine, neurotic or less desirable as a relatively modern and unfounded affliction.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • But as with any good Leonard story, the best moments come from the characters, a rogues’ gallery of violent ruffians and neurotic, duplicitous scoundrels.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of neurotic
Adjective
  • One such designer was Filippino designer Joel Wijangco, who produces surreal designs like heels modelled like a tea cup with blue toile made with ceramic effect achieved by using transparent ocean plastic.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The moment was especially surreal for Mason, who recently turned 30 and lives in the small country town of Inverell in northern New South Wales.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of surreal
Adjective
  • The artist adopts a schizoid persona, with multiple voices flowing out of him, and swerves between lucid social criticism—about the history of slavery or of higher education—and total gibberish.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The idea of a schizoid Lady M is not entirely without appeal, but despite strong performances across the board, the work runs aground fast.
    — Rhoda Feng, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Definition of schizoid

Browse Nearby Words

delusion
delusional
delusionary
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delusional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delusional. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All