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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illusion
Brightly hued paints and embellishments would have created the illusion that statues were alive—and scents would have added to that illusion, Brøns tells All That’s Interesting’s Kaleena Fraga.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
On far too many occasions, Watson chose deceit over candor, grasping for the illusion of business success and personal acclaim at any cost.
—Peter White, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Yet there are filmmakers who fall prey to the illusion too.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Ironically, the cloning tech is more impressive than the illusion itself.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
On far too many occasions, Watson chose deceit over candor, grasping for the illusion of business success and personal acclaim at any cost.
—Peter White, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
Yet there are filmmakers who fall prey to the illusion too.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2025
Ironically, the cloning tech is more impressive than the illusion itself.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusion
Noun
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Big advances in artificial intelligence have renewed some scientists’ dream of eventually understanding what dolphins are saying.—
Melissa Hobson,
Scientific American,
14 Apr. 2025
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Photo: Luca Strano A dream, perhaps, but one that became reality through a lot of hard work.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This usually includes medication (such as antipsychotics) to help control symptoms like delusions and hallucinations, and psychotherapy to provide support, education, and coping strategies.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Antipsychotic medications are commonly prescribed to reduce hallucinations, delusions, and other psychotic symptoms associated with schizophrenia.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 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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First, there is the technology myth, the belief that older employees cannot keep pace with digital advancements.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Because Jordan only gets better and better in memory and myth.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The video poignantly contrasts between a life with and without the threat of gun violence through a little girl’s daydream.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
10 Mar. 2025
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But true love isn’t built in daydreams—it’s built in real-time, with real people.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the last two decades, five helicopters on commercial sightseeing flights have crashed into the Hudson and East rivers due to mechanical failures, pilot errors, or collisions, resulting in 20 fatalities.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
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After making 14 unforced errors in 9 games in the opening set, Alcaraz raced to 5-1, 40-0 in the second before again offering Musetti a lifeline with two mistakes that allowed the Italian to get back to 40-40 with a return winner.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
13 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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In those nine minutes of footage, the camera meanders through an optimistic, dynamic metropolis where new technologies breed new visions and big plans.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
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 22 Apr. 2025.
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