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

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

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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

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 delusion The company has also been sued by the parents of kids who took their own lives, alleging that ChatGPT encouraged suicide and harmful delusions. — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026 This level of delusion and Caitlin Clark hate must be studied. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 The Mayo Clinic defines the mental health condition as typically marked by hallucinations, delusions, depression, and mania. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2026 Hill became increasingly paranoid and developed delusions that she was being surveilled. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for delusion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusion

Noun

Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Growing up in Wyoming’s rugged realities left no illusion that humans are solely in control.

— Amelia Rose Barlow, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of illusion

Noun

Also intertwined are ancient myths of warring city-states, the raw, moody poetry of John Keats, and the modern battle between a faithless husband and his wife, the poem’s raging speaker.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
In eighth-century myths the aes sidhe are literally called the tribe of the gods, and there’s a story as well, in an account of Patrick’s life written in the late seventh century.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of myth

Noun

Sequenced at the center of a three-track medley, its death-dream logic deliberately evokes the SMiLE era’s dark, confusing edge.

— Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
In a bucket hat and without a care in the world, Murray speaks kindly but candidly about making his buddy Coyne’s TV dream come true.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of dream

Noun

What began as an industry of light and illusion had, by the 1940s, become a machinery of control—an empire built on fantasy, running on fear.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
Released to critical acclaim in 2022, the role-playing game from Japanese publisher Bandai Namco is set in a dark fantasy world and allows players to head off on adventures within vast environments and dungeons.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of fantasy

Noun

There is an old superstition that keeping a copy of the book in your house will tear your family apart.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
And while a blue ribbon sewn into a wedding dress might satisfy the superstition, a sapphire or aquamarine is considerably more tempting.

— Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of superstition

Noun

This helps warm up the imagination; daydreams, nightmares are easy ways in.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of daydream

Noun

When vision keynotes and customer stories promise an autonomous future, but lived experiences don’t match up, trust fades.

— Chris Koehler, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of vision

Browse Nearby Words

deluging

delusion

delusional

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Articles Related to delusion

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delusional; audaciously self-confident

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“Delusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delusion. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of delusion

noun

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Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

delulu

Delusion vs. Hallucination: An...

'Allusion' vs. 'Illusion'

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