DELUSION Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'delusion' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of delusion are hallucination , illusion , and mirage . While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," 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

Q: When can 'hallucination' be used instead of 'delusion'?

While in some cases nearly identical to delusion , hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs. // suffered from terrifying hallucinations

Q: Where would 'illusion' be a reasonable alternative to 'delusion'?

The synonyms illusion and delusion are sometimes interchangeable, but illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines. // an illusion of safety

Q: When is it sensible to use 'mirage' instead of 'delusion'?

The words mirage and delusion can be used in similar contexts, but mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim. // claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

delusion

noun

di-ˈlü-zhən

Definition of delusion next

as in illusion

a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality her idea that her new man is a long lost prince is surely just a delusion

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in myth

a false idea or belief he appears to suffer from the delusion that he's the best reporter in the business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

truth
verity

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun delusion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of delusion are hallucination, illusion, and mirage. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," 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 can hallucination be used instead of delusion?

While in some cases nearly identical to delusion, hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

Where would illusion be a reasonable alternative to delusion?

The synonyms illusion and delusion are sometimes interchangeable, but illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

When is it sensible to use mirage instead of delusion?

The words mirage and delusion can be used in similar contexts, but mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.

claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

Examples 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 delusion Teenage delusions based on questionable ’90s rom-coms had led me to believe this was a good idea. —

Olivia Petter, Vogue, 31 Dec. 2024 Love, for us, required that nauseating combination of naiveté, delusion and fate. —

Liza Esquibias, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024 Read: America’s new climate delusion In the report, the Biden administration also says that its original argument for LNG exports—that Europe needed the gas for energy security during the Russian war with Ukraine—has fallen apart. —

Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024 Around Syria, this delusion has become impossible to sustain. —

Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for delusion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusion

Noun

With an incoming administration likely to stall or roll back green initiatives, now was the time to double down on renewable solutions, not to hedge bets on fossil fuel stopgaps that offer, at best, an illusion of progress.

— Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
Creating the illusion of pulling a gun on officers is a common suicide-by-cop move, Weiss said.

— Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025