Synonyms of mirage

mirage

noun

as in daydream

something that comes from or exists only in the mind and is not real

He thought he saw water up ahead but it was just a mirage.

Related Words

• daydream
• dream
• illusion
• nightmare
• delusion
• unreality
• chimera
• vision
• phantasm
• hallucination
• figment
• optical illusion
• fantasy
• pipe dream
• fiction
• fabrication
• nonentity
• concoction
• visualization
• idea
• conceit
• apparition
• imaging
• ignis fatuus
• utopia
• fancy
• brainchild
• fable
• will-o'-the-wisp
• cloudland
• appearance
• envisaging
• Shangri-la
• invention
• imaginativeness
• ideation
• creativity
• contrivance
• daymare
• inventiveness
• originality
• mind's eye

Dissimilar Words

• fact
• reality
• actuality

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun mirage contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of mirage are delusion, hallucination, and illusion. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.

claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

Where would delusion be a reasonable alternative to mirage?

The words delusion and mirage can be used in similar contexts, but 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 could hallucination be used to replace mirage?

In some situations, the words hallucination and mirage are roughly equivalent. However, hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

When can illusion be used instead of mirage?

While the synonyms illusion and mirage are close in meaning, illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mirage

After a couple of days at sea during the crossing from Svalbard to East Greenland, our first sight of land appeared almost like a mirage on the horizon. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026

The surplus turned out to be a mirage based on what officials later acknowledged was a $165 billion error in revenue estimates. — Dan Walters, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2026

The superiority of the German Jews turned out to be nothing but a mirage. — Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026

Companies in mature industries face a real risk of overinvesting and chasing growth that turns out to be a mirage. — Harvard Business Review, 11 Aug. 2026

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