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 Time becomes a desert that stretches out to every horizon, without even the false hope of a mirage to break it up. Bryan Walsh, Vox, 26 May 2025 There are theories as to the causes — better training, more prestigious summer tournaments in KC are just a mirage. Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 26 May 2025 People still crave certainty, but many are starting to see that certainty can be a mirage. Rhea Wessel, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 Conclusion What has long been the mirage of legal transformation is about to become the reality. Mark A. Cohen, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mirage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mirage
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
  • Ps ur avocado toast is on the long list of reasons why ur my dream wife.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 26 June 2025
  • There are still a handful of dream sequences and surreal interludes that seem to want to underscore the show’s deep psychological curiosity, and its unwillingness to be an easy watch.
    Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Mirage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mirage. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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