1
as in dreams
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 delusions
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
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Recent Examples of illusions
Archaeologists analyze the ancient painters’ creative use of the cave’s spatial definition to tell stories and create illusions of motion.
—
Eric Kohn, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
In 2028, a 22-day fair is scheduled for June 7 to July 4 with a theme of magic and illusions.
—Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
First staged in 2008, it’s evolved into a hot-pepper challenge, a way to steel-man your illusions about love.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
Some cherished illusions will be shattered, including what chimpanzees eat, which is not exclusively fruit but sometimes other, weaker primates like red colobus monkeys.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 13 Apr. 2026
No one was under any illusions.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Instead, Angine de Poitrine are more like Meshuggah or Dawn of Midi, establishing a meter and then creating rhythmic illusions using creative bursts of syncopation.
—Christopher R. Weingarten, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026
With trap doors and illusions around every corner, the show is one of the most high-tech theatrical offerings in the city.
—Abraham Swee, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Advertisement In the Black Sea, confidence was built through information sharing and monitoring, not through illusions and expectations of good will.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
Eric Kohn, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
In 2028, a 22-day fair is scheduled for June 7 to July 4 with a theme of magic and illusions.
—Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026
First staged in 2008, it’s evolved into a hot-pepper challenge, a way to steel-man your illusions about love.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2026
Some cherished illusions will be shattered, including what chimpanzees eat, which is not exclusively fruit but sometimes other, weaker primates like red colobus monkeys.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 13 Apr. 2026
No one was under any illusions.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Instead, Angine de Poitrine are more like Meshuggah or Dawn of Midi, establishing a meter and then creating rhythmic illusions using creative bursts of syncopation.
—Christopher R. Weingarten, Pitchfork, 3 Apr. 2026
With trap doors and illusions around every corner, the show is one of the most high-tech theatrical offerings in the city.
—Abraham Swee, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Advertisement In the Black Sea, confidence was built through information sharing and monitoring, not through illusions and expectations of good will.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusions
Noun
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Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
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And so to watch those guys get drafted, man, and live out a component of their dreams.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Psychosis is a loss of contact with reality that can be characterized by hearing voices and having delusions.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
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The case has rightly focused attention on how chatbots apparently reinforce delusions and foster emotional dependency.—
Marc Augustin,
STAT,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But some movies, either deliberately or inadvertently, manage to offer glimpses into the future, either through visions of technological advances or predicted social and political trends.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
22 Apr. 2026
-
When citizens insist on shaping the basic terms of social life by appealing to premises that others cannot reasonably be expected to accept—revelation, doctrines of transcendence, private moral visions—the result is not a purer politics but a dangerously brittle one.—
Nikhil Krishnan,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There’s something for everybody in myths.—
Marah Eakin,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
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The first is the broader destigmatization of cannabis, as state after state dismantles old laws and outdated myths.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But what Danielson says was intended as a symbolic protest escalated dramatically amid paranoid fantasies, prosaic miscommunications, and the false report of a gun.—
Tessa Stuart,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
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Inspired in part by Gillian Anderson’s compendium of women’s erotic fantasies, Want, as well as Nancy Friday’s My Secret Garden, Superbloom is, in theory, a manifestation of Ware’s deepest desires.—
Harry Tafoya,
Pitchfork,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Hopefully his teammates and coaches realize the errors in their ways.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
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In December, Chelsea’s players looked inexplicably unprepared for the intensity of this long-time rivalry and were caught out via defensive errors.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Just think of all those vacant Madonnas, structurally perfect compositions, and obedient daydreams of antiquity.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The family car is a Mazda, but Zac daydreams of a Bugatti Veyron.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Illusions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusions. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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