Synonyms of hallucination

hallucination

noun

hə-ˌlü-sə-ˈnā-shən 

1

as in dream

a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality

were the voices real, or merely a hallucination?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dream
• illusion
• daydream
• vision
• fantasy
• delusion
• unreality
• idea
• phantasm
• nightmare
• figment
• chimera
• mirage
• pipe dream
• castle in the air
• imaging
• castle in Spain
• conceit
• nonentity
• fiction
• fancy
• concoction
• visualization
• ignis fatuus
• utopia
• fabrication
• brainchild
• fable
• cloudland
• will-o'-the-wisp
• cloud-cuckoo-land
• invention
• envisaging
• Shangri-la
• daymare

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fact
• reality
• actuality

2

as in delusion

a false idea or belief

the common hallucination that gluttony during the holiday season doesn't have consequences

Synonyms & Similar Words

• delusion
• illusion
• myth
• error
• superstition
• misunderstanding
• misconception
• fallacy
• misbelief
• falsehood
• untruth
• falsity
• distortion
• fiction
• old wives' tale
• tale
• pretense
• lie
• misperception
• misinterpretation
• misrepresentation
• miscomprehension
• misjudgment
• inaccuracy
• misapprehension
• misstatement
• misinformation
• story
• factoid
• sophism
• sophistry
• half-truth
• fib
• misknowledge
• misreport

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• truth
• verity

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun hallucination contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of hallucination are delusion, illusion, and mirage. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

When is it sensible to use delusion instead of hallucination?

The words delusion and hallucination are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 illusion be used instead of hallucination?

Although the words illusion and hallucination have much in common, illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

When is mirage a more appropriate choice than hallucination?

While in some cases nearly identical to hallucination, mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.

claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hallucination

Despite interweaving layers of nonsense with further layers of nonsense, the developers at least wanted to keep the hallucinations lore-consistent, not unlike how media fandoms are obsessed with canon. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 May 2026

Thus the dress—a projection of collective hallucination—escapes, whereas a girl (with large bones) is left to die; the one girl who preferred poetry to dresses. —Literary Hub, 11 May 2026

Schizoaffective disorder is a mental health condition that is marked by a mix of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, and mood disorder symptoms, such as depression, mania and a milder form of mania called hypomania, per the Mayo Clinic. —Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026

But some studies point to health and psychological risks, such as IQ loss, heart issues and temporary paranoia and hallucinations. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 9 May 2026