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

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 hallucination Latest from Michael Hiltzik Voices Hiltzik: Target learns that bowing to anti-DEI backers can be costly, a lesson for those bowing to Trump Voices Hiltzik: AI ‘hallucinations’ are a growing problem for the legal profession Voices Hiltzik: Who’s responsible for the aviation mess? Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025 Monday, June 2 Support group: Lou Ciampi from Acadia Pharmaceuticals will talk about the Parkinson’s hallucination medication Nuplazid during the 10 a.m. to noon Monday, June 2 Parkinson’s Support Group meeting for all North County Inland Communities. Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2025 Further compounding the issue would be the matter of AI hallucinations. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025 This type of hallucination is a hallmark for many people with sleep paralysis. Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 8 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for hallucination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hallucination
Noun
  • The entire spectacle is, of course, a line-of-sight illusion — all three objects extremely far from each other.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • And if anyone was naive enough to imagine the U.S.-led tournament in 2026 would be free of such political baggage, then surely the increasingly public proximity of the Trump-Infantino relationship has dispelled those illusions.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Among these, schizophrenia, a complex mental health condition marked by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, stands out.
    William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • Ultimately, there may be no way for Israel to escape its smart-bomb delusion—or another quagmire in the Middle East.
    Robert A. Pape, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • Being from New York, it’s always been a dream of mine to play professionally here.
    Jenn Nelson, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
  • Ps ur avocado toast is on the long list of reasons why ur my dream wife.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • When the photographer Víctor Zea was a child living in Lima, Peru, he was taught an Inca myth of origin.
    Ana Karina Zatarain, New Yorker, 21 June 2025
  • Getting up to speed on the modern-day reality of actual EV usage and charging habits proves to be the antidote to overcoming the ever-fading yet persistent myth of range anxiety.
    Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • From $635 per night. La Réserve feels a bit like a daydream manifested.
    Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 3 June 2025
  • Zooey Deschanel is living in a Screen Actors Guild Awards daydream.
    Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 6 May 2025
Noun
  • Many small business workers may not have digital access or face language barriers when missing paperwork or tech errors can result in automatic loss of coverage.
    Rhett Buttle, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
  • That poll surveyed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19, and has a weighted margin of error of 5.25 percent.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • The Old Guard 2 — a sequel to the Charlize Theron fantasy superhero hit from 2020 — arrives on Netflix this week.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
  • Set in a fantasy version of early 1900s Japan, the series focuses on the adventures Tanjiro Kamado, an ordinary boy whose peaceful life in the mountains is disrupted when demons murder his family.
    Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • Just to the south, there is a vision for a regional transportation center, plus apartments on the site of the decaying One Talcott Plaza.
    Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2025
  • If the mention of Luxembourg conjures visions of banks, European institutions and a vague whiff of royalty, most people struggle to place the tiny country on a map.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 28 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hallucination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hallucination. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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