illusory

adjective

Definition of illusorynext
as in imaginary
formal based on something that is not true or real; based on an illusion an illusory hope an illusory sense of security

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective illusory contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of illusory are apparent, ostensible, and seeming. While all these words mean "not actually being what appearance indicates," illusory implies a false impression based on deceptive resemblance or faulty observation, or influenced by emotions that prevent a clear view.

an illusory sense of security

When is apparent a more appropriate choice than illusory?

The synonyms apparent and illusory are sometimes interchangeable, but apparent suggests appearance to unaided senses that may or may not be borne out by more rigorous examination or greater knowledge.

the apparent cause of the accident

When is it sensible to use ostensible instead of illusory?

The meanings of ostensible and illusory largely overlap; however, ostensible suggests a discrepancy between an openly declared or naturally implied aim or reason and the true one.

the ostensible reason for their visit

When could seeming be used to replace illusory?

While the synonyms seeming and illusory are close in meaning, seeming implies a character in the thing observed that gives it the appearance, sometimes through intent, of something else.

the seeming simplicity of the story

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 illusory But many experts caution that predictions of communist rule ending have proved illusory. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026 But Swift doesn’t charge that much upfront; instead, Ticketmaster sells a limited number of tickets at an illusory low price. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026 Disciplined Saturn encounters illusory Neptune in your 6th House of Work and Health, pushing you to define tasks and protect your focus from distractions. —Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2026 These images are interwoven with letters to an ambiguous, ageless, and perhaps illusory recipient. —Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for illusory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusory
  1. imaginary
  2. unreal
  3. ideal
  4. imagined
  5. imaginal
  6. unlikely
Adjective
  • Engendered by the ubiquity of stable and robust WiFi and the incredible power of the smartphone’s system-on-a-chip design, the smart everything era demonstrates the full transfer of the smartness imaginary.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Following Christopher Columbus’ first voyage, the rulers of Portugal and Spain, by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), partitioned the non-Christian world between them by an imaginary line in the Atlantic, 370 leagues (about 1,300 miles) west of the Cape Verde Islands.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • The crossover energy is unreal.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2026
  • Dissociation is a common response to traumatic stress that can include amnesia, feelings that things are unreal or feeling disconnected from what is happening.
    — Anne P. DePrince, The Conversation, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of unreal
Adjective
  • The location of the new stadium is hardly ideal.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Self-reflection is currently an ideal way to deepen our connections.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of ideal
Adjective
  • The title track is simply a recitation of imagined Spotify playlists, and once the joke lands we’re not left with much.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 25 Mar. 2026
  • The campaign, which started in 2024, is part of the zoo's overall goal to fund a world-class aquarium, a larger education center and a re-imagined butterfly garden at the Great Plains Zoo campus.
    — Shelly Conlon, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 17 Mar. 2026
Definition of imagined
Adjective
  • Peter [Merry] likes to use is that, when a caterpillar is becoming a butterfly, new ‘imaginal cells’ emerge.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 7 Aug. 2025
  • With one technique, for example—called imaginal exposure—you might be asked to visualize the process of going to the airport, boarding the plane, and experiencing a bad bout of turbulence.
    — Angela Haupt, TIME, 10 May 2024
Definition of imaginal
Adjective
  • Another surgery swapped out her breast implants to erase her shoulder pain in 2022, Dishell said, but doctors warned her then that her other pain was unlikely to improve.
    — Brett Kelman, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
  • But McKinnon, who runs the $14 billion digital identity management company Okta, adds that CEOs are unlikely to get the answer from their in-house IT experts.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Definition of unlikely

Browse Nearby Words

illusive
illusory
illustrate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Illusory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusory. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on illusory

Nglish: Translation of illusory for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of verdant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

Are You Misusing These 10 Common Words?

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

12 Words for Signs of Spring

The Opposite of Déjà Vu

The Words of the Week - Apr. 3

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?

17 Words for Dog Breeds
See More

Popular

See More

5 Verbal Slip Ups and Language Mistakes

12 Words for Signs of Spring

The Opposite of Déjà Vu
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
8-track-tapes
Good Old-Fashioned Quiz Can you name these antiquated items?
See All