illusion 
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il·lu·sion (i lo̵̅o̅′z̸hən)
noun
- a false idea or conception; belief or opinion not in accord with the facts
- an unreal, deceptive, or misleading appearance or image a large mirror giving the illusion of space in a small room
- a false perception, conception, or interpretation of what one sees, where one is, etc.
- the misleading image resulting in such a false impression
- hallucination
- a delicate, gauzy silk tulle used for veils, etc.
Etymology: ME illusioun < OFr illusion < L illusio, a mocking (in LL(Ec), deceit, illusion) < illusus, pp. of illudere, to mock, play with < in-, on + ludere, to play: see ludicrous
Related Forms:
- illusional il·lu′·sional adjective or illusionary il·lu′·sion·ar′y
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Alternate definitions:
illusion
n.
Unreal appearance
fancy, hallucination, mirage, apparition, ghost, chimera, delusion, deception, fantasy, figment of the imagination, dream, vision, phantasm, image, trick of vision, optical illusion, myth, make-believe, déjà vu (French), paramnesia, castle in Spain, will-o'-the-wisp, ignis fatuus (Latin); see also dream 1, fantasy 2, vision 3, 4.Misconception
delusion, confusion, false impression; see mistake 2, misunderstanding 1.
illusion suggests the false perception or interpretation of something that has objective existence perspective in drawing gives the illusion of depth; delusion implies belief in something that is contrary to fact or reality, resulting from deception, a misconception, or a mental disorder to have delusions of grandeur; hallucination implies the apparent perception, in nervous or mental disorder, of something external that is actually not present; mirage refers to an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions, and, in figurative use, implies an unrealizable hope or aspiration
Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Preposition: of
- grandeur: Or may be the school had illusions of grandeur.
Converse of object
- shatter: The deep split over the war on Iraq shattered any illusions in a common position on really decisive foreign issues.
Adjective modifier
- optical: Optical Illusion - John Langdon, 1999 Can you see why this painting is called optical illusion?
Noun used with modifier
- continuity: In addition, the data indicate that the neural mechanisms involved in vowel identification receive an input from those responsible for the continuity illusion.
The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.
The existence of St Sophia is atmospheric; that of St Peter's, overpowering, imminently substantial.One is a church to God; the other a salon for his agents.One is consecrated to reality, the other to illusion. St Sophia, in fact, is large, and St Peter's is vilely, tragically small.
All great poetry gives the illusion of a view of life.
It is not easy nowadays to remember anything so contrary to all appearances as that officials are the servants of the public; and the official must try not to foster the illusion that it is the other way round.
Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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MLA Style
"illusion." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009
- Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
- <www.yourdictionary.com/illusion>
APA Style
illusion. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary
- Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/illusion
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