hallucination

noun

hə-ˌlü-sə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce hallucination (audio)
Definition of hallucinationnext
1
as in dream
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality were the voices real, or merely a hallucination?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delusion
a false idea or belief the common hallucination that gluttony during the holiday season doesn't have consequences

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun hallucination contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of hallucination are delusion, illusion, and mirage. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

When is it sensible to use delusion instead of hallucination?

The words delusion and hallucination are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 illusion be used instead of hallucination?

Although the words illusion and hallucination have much in common, illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

When is mirage a more appropriate choice than hallucination?

While in some cases nearly identical to hallucination, 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 hallucination Some companies are developing compounds designed to produce antidepressant effects without hallucinations or other intense subjective experiences. — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026 Ultimately, the court did not sanction Wagner in the case, but the decision stands to put attorneys and other professionals in Tax Court on notice that AI hallucinations will not be tolerated. — Kaitlin Newkirk, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 Ulrich, who was one of the OG Ghostfaces in the thriller, reprised his role in the fifth and sixth installments as a hallucination to his daughter, Sam Loomis, played by Barrera. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026 In humans, symptoms often include fever, weakness and headache before progressing to tingling sensations, anxiety, agitation, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, difficulty swallowing, coma and death. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hallucination
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hallucination
  1. dream
  2. delusion
  3. illusion
  4. myth
  5. daydream
  6. error
  7. vision
  8. fantasy
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
  • In contrast to the gorgeous monochrome visuals, this is a land that stinks of complicity and delusion — of opportunists desperate to scramble onto the right side of history.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Their passions and delusions strengthen through their symbiosis.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of 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
  • 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
  • Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler lead Lakers past the Clippers in an error-prone game.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The two-point difference is within the poll’s margin of error.
    — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of error
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
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

Browse Nearby Words

hallucinating
hallucination
hallucinations
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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on hallucination

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hallucination

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