delusion
noun
de·lu·sion di-ˈlü-zhən 
dē-
1
a
: something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated
under the delusion that they will finish on schedule
delusions of grandeur
b
psychology : a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary
the delusion that someone was out to hurt him
also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs
2
: the act of tricking or deceiving someone : the state of being deluded
… accused the Bohemian of having practised the most abominable arts of delusion among the younger brethren.
Walter Scott
Walter Scott delusional
di-ˈlüzh-nəl
adjective dē-
-ˈlü-zhə-nᵊl
delusionary
di-ˈlü-zhə-ˌner-ē
adjective dē-
Synonyms
- chimera
- conceit
- daydream
- dream
- fancy
- fantasy
- phantasy
- figment
- hallucination
- illusion
- nonentity
- phantasm
- fantasm
- pipe dream
- unreality
- vision
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
He has delusions about how much money he can make at that job. He is living under the delusion that he is incapable of making mistakes. She is under the delusion that we will finish on time. As the illness progressed, his delusions took over and he had violent outbursts.
Recent Examples on the Web Cue the inevitable gaffes of 0.001 percenter delusion. Leena Kim, Town & Country, 5 Aug. 2022 The title Joker: Folie à Deux, which references a delusion or mental illness shared by two people, also suggests that Joker may team up with another supervillain — possibly his sometime-girlfriend Harley Quinn, who may be played by Lady Gaga. Emma Becker, PEOPLE.com, 21 July 2022 Unsurprisingly, the Lapvonians who pray are overwhelmingly depicted as stupid, or at the very least hampered by delusion. Jess Bergman, The New Republic, 22 June 2022 In ways both distressing and inspiring, the committee illuminated the experience of ordinary public servants who refused to succumb to the pressures of tribal kinship, delusion, and threats. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 22 June 2022 What is that link for you between delusion and humanity? Elizabeth Nicholas, Vogue, 15 June 2022 These monuments to adoration, vanity and delusion were heavily damaged in the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 Bernanke thinks his limited knowledge saved the world, which is a reminder that delusion is incredibly powerful. John Tamny, Forbes, 14 Aug. 2022 Poor practice and a degree of self-delusion explain much of this. David Robert Grimes, The Atlantic, 29 July 2022 See More
Leena Kim, Town & Country, 5 Aug. 2022 The title Joker: Folie à Deux, which references a delusion or mental illness shared by two people, also suggests that Joker may team up with another supervillain — possibly his sometime-girlfriend Harley Quinn, who may be played by Lady Gaga. Emma Becker, PEOPLE.com, 21 July 2022 Unsurprisingly, the Lapvonians who pray are overwhelmingly depicted as stupid, or at the very least hampered by delusion. Jess Bergman, The New Republic, 22 June 2022 In ways both distressing and inspiring, the committee illuminated the experience of ordinary public servants who refused to succumb to the pressures of tribal kinship, delusion, and threats. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 22 June 2022 What is that link for you between delusion and humanity? Elizabeth Nicholas, Vogue, 15 June 2022 These monuments to adoration, vanity and delusion were heavily damaged in the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 Bernanke thinks his limited knowledge saved the world, which is a reminder that delusion is incredibly powerful. John Tamny, Forbes, 14 Aug. 2022 Poor practice and a degree of self-delusion explain much of this. David Robert Grimes, The Atlantic, 29 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Late Latin delusion-, delusio, from deludere — see delude
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Phrases Containing delusion
Kids Definition
delusion
noun
de·lu·sion di-ˈlü-zhən
: a false belief that continues in spite of the facts
"You might be laboring under the delusion that the entire … world is impressed with you …" J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Medical Definition
delusion
noun
de·lu·sion di-ˈlü-zhən
1
a
: the act of deluding : the state of being deluded
b
: an abnormal mental state characterized by the occurrence of psychotic delusions
2
: a false belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that persists despite the facts and occurs in some psychotic states compare hallucination sense 1, illusion sense 2a
delusion
noun
1
as in illusion
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality her idea that her new man is a long lost prince is surely just a delusion Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- illusion
- dream
- fantasy
- daydream
- vision
- unreality
- hallucination
- idea
- mirage
- nightmare
- conceit
- phantasm
- chimera
- phantasy
- figment
- imaging
- pipe dream
- fiction
- fantasm
- nonentity
- fancy
- castle in the air
- castle in Spain
- utopia
- visualization
- concoction
- ignis fatuus
- fable
- fabrication
- cloudland
- brainchild
- cloud-cuckoo-land
- envisaging
- will-o'-the-wisp
- invention
- Shangri-la
- daymare
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reality
- fact
- actuality
2
as in myth
a false idea or belief he appears to suffer from the delusion that he's the best reporter in the business Synonyms & Similar Words
- illusion
- myth
- error
- superstition
- hallucination
- fallacy
- misconception
- misunderstanding
- falsehood
- misbelief
- untruth
- falsity
- pretense
- distortion
- misperception
- lie
- misapprehension
- fiction
- misrepresentation
- tale
- miscomprehension
- misinterpretation
- misinformation
- old wives' tale
- misjudgment
- misstatement
- sophism
- factoid
- inaccuracy
- pretence
- sophistry
- story
- misreport
- misknowledge
- fib
- half-truth
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- truth
- verity
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of delusion are hallucination, illusion, and mirage. While all these words mean "something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal," delusion implies an inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real, often as the result of a disordered state of mind.
delusions of persecution
While in some cases nearly identical to delusion, hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.
suffered from terrifying hallucinations
The synonyms illusion and delusion are sometimes interchangeable, but illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.
an illusion of safety
The words mirage and delusion can be used in similar contexts, but mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.
claimed a balanced budget is a mirage
- deconflict
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- decongest
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- decongested
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- decongestive
- decongests
- deconglomerate
- deconglomeration
- deconned
- deconning
- decons
- deconsecrate
- deconsecrated
- deconsecrates
- deconsecrating
- deconsecration
- deconsecrations