1
as in dream
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
the magician specializes in creating illusions, so that people believe they have seen something when they really haven't
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delusion
a false idea or belief
he had no illusions about how much effort and money the renovation project would require
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illusion
Nobody should be under any illusion that the infighting will stop anytime soon.
—
Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2025
There’s this illusion that whatever happens in Thailand stays in Thailand.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
And few can bear to lose all their other illusions.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Apr. 2025
That’s the cost of such rigorous theming: Since you’re supposed to be inside a game, anything that gets in the way of that illusion is banned.
—Todd Anderson, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 11 Apr. 2025
There’s this illusion that whatever happens in Thailand stays in Thailand.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
And few can bear to lose all their other illusions.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Apr. 2025
That’s the cost of such rigorous theming: Since you’re supposed to be inside a game, anything that gets in the way of that illusion is banned.
—Todd Anderson, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusion
Noun
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Otherwise, a ton of talented players got to achieve their dreams this weekend.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Apr. 2025
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However, LeSean McCoy's Philadelphia Eagles gave K.C. nightmares and celebrated their dreams that came tr... NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Researchers noted the positive effects of ecstatic epilepsy and synthesized fifty-three theoretical models of delusion.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
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Some might suggest that these delusions of grandeur are designed to tranquilize the nervous masses; regardless, the public obviously craves them.—
Lauren Stienstra,
Time,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Film Says A Lot Without Saying Much This is a fantasy adventure film that involves mythical creatures.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
18 Apr. 2025
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But The Wheel of Time is the strangest, most colorful large-scale fantasy on TV.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Entities magically endowed with life by the gods are not a rarity in Greek myth.—
Sofia Giannuzzi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
22 Apr. 2025
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At the same time, the Health and Human Service Department, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has stoked uncertainty and confusion among Americans whose suspicions grew during the pandemic about vaccines and what many scientists worry are myths about alternatives.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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After all, strategy without execution is a daydream, but execution without strategy is a nightmare.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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If your daydreams about jetting off on a European vacation keep getting thwarted by your budget and bank account, all hope isn’t lost.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Graham Pauley singled and advanced to third when a fielder’s choice turned into a throwing error on Bohm.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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Story’s two homers made up for two errors the normally sure-handed shortstop made in the field, one throwing and one fielding.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Fans have bought into the vision of multiple general managers and the potential of a long list of high draft picks.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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Amid an atmosphere of near-zero interest rates, venture-capital investors were drawn to grand plans and messianic visions, both of which Thurston was skilled at providing.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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All those books teaching parents how to take care of their children—the first year, the first eighteen months, the first five or ten years—none of them addresses this difficulty: for parents and for children, the border between reality and unreality is not always clearly marked.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
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As the novel progresses, this sense of unreality sharpens.—
Jordan Kisner,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusion. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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