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
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Recent Examples of illusory
Despite the book’s suggestive title, the landscape is anything but illusory for Abbott, who grew up in Grosse Pointe and spent the first 18 years of her life there.
—
Jim Ruland, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Wells’s attempt to hold the two in balance relied on a division between art and politics, but that division is entirely illusory.
—Kamila Shamsie
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
Freedom without effective enforcement is illusory, as history repeatedly demonstrates.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 18 June 2025
The viewer doesn’t hold all that much sway over Stefan’s outcomes, but the illusory nature of free will is part of the point Bandersnatch is trying to make.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusory
Jim Ruland, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
Wells’s attempt to hold the two in balance relied on a division between art and politics, but that division is entirely illusory.
—Kamila Shamsie
june 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
Freedom without effective enforcement is illusory, as history repeatedly demonstrates.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 18 June 2025
The viewer doesn’t hold all that much sway over Stefan’s outcomes, but the illusory nature of free will is part of the point Bandersnatch is trying to make.
—Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusory
Adjective
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Is all this merely a sci-fi imaginary consideration?—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
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Any other Countdown viewers dig their fingernails into an imaginary steering wheel when this second SUV followed his buddy into this left turn with zero regard for the oncoming white sedan?!—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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In a sit-down interview, Goldberg said the amount of disrespect Gunther had for Goldberg was unreal.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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And, if Mateer and Ott are as-advertised, this could be an unreal year for the Sooners.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Make your backyard safe: Keep it fenced, plant native vegetation and trim your shrubs to ensure your yard doesn't seem like an ideal place for wildlife.—
Shelby Slade,
AZCentral.com,
24 July 2025
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Jackie's ideal home would be one with no other pets and adults or older children only as she hasn't been exposed to small children before.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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Mercury entering into Pisces turns up the imaginal juice.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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So worst-case would be a fifth-place finish, which is unlikely.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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Trump is unlikely to allow India’s policy toward Ukraine to determine the future of a U.S.-India deal or a thaw in trade tensions, for example, and likewise with China.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illusory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusory. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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