1
as in dream
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
the magician specializes in creating illusions, so that people believe they have seen something when they really haven't
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delusion
a false idea or belief
he had no illusions about how much effort and money the renovation project would require
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illusion
Spritz on just a little and polish with a rag or cloth to make the leaves of artificial plants shine, giving them the illusion of being real.
—
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2025
What begins as paranoia becomes a symbolic journey to loosen the scaffolding of illusion and to find the genuine.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
Use this energy to reclaim your space, tend to your inner child, and lay down new roots that are built on integrity, not illusion.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 21 Sep. 2025
Canada is under no illusion that this recognition is not a panacea.
—Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2025
What begins as paranoia becomes a symbolic journey to loosen the scaffolding of illusion and to find the genuine.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
Use this energy to reclaim your space, tend to your inner child, and lay down new roots that are built on integrity, not illusion.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 21 Sep. 2025
Canada is under no illusion that this recognition is not a panacea.
—Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusion
Noun
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Are your security goals on course to support your bigger dreams in life?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Many surrealist artists cast women as muses or dream figures conjured for the male gaze.—
Sally Jane Brown,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
No more division, distraction, or gender delusions.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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She is caught up in a delusion, convinced that her imaginary accomplice Libardo is accusing her of betrayal.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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American budgets, jobs, health, welfare and environmental treasures cannot afford more energy fantasies, especially offshore wind.—
Craig Rucker,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
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Of course, people make boastful statements of dubious merit all the time, but, as our story explains, Robinson has monetized his fantasies by selling development masterclasses to aspiring writers and offering other services for a fee.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These subsidies were cunning, part of a decades-long effort to keep alive the myths that offshore wind energy is nearly self-sufficient and generates increasingly inexpensive electricity.—
Craig Rucker,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
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Consciousness, human life, utterly in the grip of its own dreamlife, all our thinking and voicing caught in a web of surreal distortion, generated by our irrational yearning and apprehensions, our appetite for myth, our solipsism.—
Jane Ciabattari
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The series can feel like a collective daydream.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Kacy Hill’s music sounds — and feels — like an ethereal daydream.—
Daniela Avila,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Unlike traditional approaches, HydroSpread lets ultrathin polymer films form directly on water, eliminating the fragile and error-prone step of transferring films from rigid surfaces.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Sep. 2025
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In the fourth inning, Los Angeles got a run on Kolek’s throwing error that sailed into center field.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Much of the film, for all its bristling kineticism, unfolds in closeup; Anderson’s favorite vistas and visions can be mapped out in the human face.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
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Continue reading … EYES WIDE OPEN – Scientists unveil breakthrough eye drops that restore close-up vision without surgery.—
,
FOXNews.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In rare cases, sleepers gain insight into the unreality of their dreams from within the dream itself.—
Rachel Barr,
Big Think,
20 Aug. 2025
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For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.—
Ryan Gaur,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusion. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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