mirage

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

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 mirage At the frontier edge of astronomy, tantalizing new observations have a tendency to be mirages. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025 An early exit from the WBIT might have led players to question whether their 16-1 start, and short stay in the Associated Press top 25, was a mirage. John Shipley, Twin Cities, 24 Sep. 2025 The September swoon was proved a mirage by early October. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2025 What saves Arisu is an act of self-harm from Usagi, which brings him out of Mira's mirage and back into the reality of the Borderland. Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mirage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mirage
Noun
  • The series can feel like a collective daydream.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Drawing fact and daydream together, Kelsey inserts herself into Loy’s story, acting like a bystander during interactions between Loy and Marcel Duchamp or Gertrude Stein.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Inter basin transfers created the illusion of abundance.
    Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
  • In the 21st century, the moral entrepreneurs include media personalities and social influencers as well as the nonhuman bots and algorithms whose authority is derived by constructing the illusion of broad consensus.
    Ron Barrett, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mirage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mirage. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

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