illusion

[ih-loo-zhuhn] / ɪˈlu ʒən /

NOUN

false impression of reality

Synonyms

STRONGEST

confusion deception delusion fantasy hallucination image misconception myth pipe dream semblance

STRONG

apparition bubble chimera daydream error fallacy fancy ghost hocus-pocus invention make believe mirage misapprehension mockery paramnesia phantasm rainbow trip

WEAK

déjà vu false impression figment of imagination fool's paradise head trip idolism ignus fatuus misbelief misimpression optical illusion seeming virtual reality

Antonyms

STRONGEST

fact reality truth

STRONG

being certainty correction right

WEAK

event

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One on Monday, actress Juliet Stevenson praised Pike's actions, underlining how actors and audiences share a mutual "responsibility" in maintaining the "illusion" of an "imaginative world".

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

A giant twist in the series’ penultimate episode, “The Garden,” came with the reveal that the crowning achievement motivating Deborah all season long, a sold-out Madison Square Garden performance, was a cruel illusion.

From Salon • May 29, 2026

Flash forward to the present, and we have a remarkable parallel: A.I. chatbots provide a convincing illusion of consciousness, but we know they are just a sequence of lifeless math calculations.

From Slate • May 25, 2026

Cosm works best when it’s able to use its venue to create the illusion of no longer being a spectator, when the space itself starts to feel like a living theater.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

And there was something else, a hollowness that was likely the result of the illusion, an impression that he was not entirely present in the room.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Vocabulary lists containing illusion

"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts

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Smoke and Mirrors: The Lingo of Illusion and Deception

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English Words Derived from French, List 1

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