illusory

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.

We eagerly drink in the discord because the stakes are illusory, even if the high-strung emotions turn out to be real.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026

And these numbers are “nominal,” meaning they include the illusory gains that come from inflation.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 3, 2025

Toner-Rodgers’s illusory success seems in part thanks to the dynamics he has now upset: an academic culture at MIT where high levels of trust, integrity and rigor are all—for better or worse—assumed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025

While students in Illinois tended to report the top line as longer, Zulu pastoralists in South Africa had a much weaker response, barely experiencing the illusory effects.

From Slate • Aug. 24, 2025

Critics of Jefferson’s visionary projections, like Adams, were then accused of rejecting the ideals themselves, when in fact they were merely exposing their illusory character.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis