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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of illusion
If Scott were merely adept at the switcheroo illusions — playing two halves of a conversation simultaneously, shooting at someone and being shot — the Chekhov would be charming but not, as great theater requires, new.
—
Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025
The wide front porch gives the illusion that the open-plan living and kitchen area extends past the exterior walls, through the (optional) all-glass double doors to the great outdoors.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2025
The actress added square-toe boots and wore her blonde hair in a slicked style.
12 of 18
Alessandra Ambrosio
For the Balenciaga Paris Fashion Week show, Alessandra Ambrosio opted for a navy blue sweater paired with illusion lingerie on the bottom.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
This free agency period, there’s no illusion that the 49ers’ defense needs everyone’s attention after last season’s emotionally draining 6-11 disaster.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Jesse Green, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025
The wide front porch gives the illusion that the open-plan living and kitchen area extends past the exterior walls, through the (optional) all-glass double doors to the great outdoors.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2025
The actress added square-toe boots and wore her blonde hair in a slicked style.
12 of 18
Alessandra Ambrosio
For the Balenciaga Paris Fashion Week show, Alessandra Ambrosio opted for a navy blue sweater paired with illusion lingerie on the bottom.
—Catherine Santino, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
This free agency period, there’s no illusion that the 49ers’ defense needs everyone’s attention after last season’s emotionally draining 6-11 disaster.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusion
Noun
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Bringing a hospital to the West End was the dream of Corenza Townsend, chief administrative officer for Norton West.—
James Brown,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2025
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At the end of 2023, the now 30-year-old went from working a tech job in New York — his dream city — to moving into the spare bedroom at his 90-year-old grandmother’s home in Los Angeles.—
Athena Sobhan,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That would be you, the audience, fed a royal jelly concocted of dream, fantasy, myth, popcorn, even delusion.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Many of these protagonists endure the tedium and humiliation of involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations, losing days and years to paralyzing inertia, and experiencing terrifying delusions of persecution and betrayal.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Instead of obsessively trying to recreate the original, Lowery takes the bones of the first film — a classic boy and his dragon tale — and crafts something fresh, a charming environmentalist fantasy that’s both gentle and heartfelt.—
Staff Author,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
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For Abdi, this show — her first professional runway gig — is indeed a fantasy made real.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The lone creator is a myth that goes back a long time in art history.—
Jay Cheshes,
Smithsonian Magazine,
28 Mar. 2025
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Wielding Excalibur, the sword of myth, Gawain grows more powerful as the sun rises, reaching peak strength at midday.—
Alan Yuhas,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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An oppressively frequent voiceover tips us off to the roiling thoughts within, which swing between daydreams of an earlier cunnilingus-loving boyfriend and pleas toward Steve to touch her again.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2025
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Where Babygirl explores the power dynamics and kink potential of an age difference, and The Idea of You leans on the age gap as a kind of escapist daydream, Bridget Jones offers an Everywoman’s version.—
Allison P. Davis,
Vulture,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Baker expressed skepticism about the poll, questioning the reliability due to the small sample size and margin of error.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2025
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Unlike previous quantum attempts plagued by instability, Majorana 1 uses a new class of qubits resistant to errors, making scalable quantum computing a reality.—
Sarah Choudhary,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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He is haunted by visions and night terrors involving Anne and his late mentor, Cardinal Wolsey (Jonathan Pryce), who was executed by King Henry’s orders in the first season.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
23 Mar. 2025
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Detective Lee Yeon-hui (played by Shin Hyun-been of Hospital Playlist and Reborn Rich) is assigned to the case and also chases after the suspect, all the while being tormented by visions of her dead sister.—
Regina Kim,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Julie Andrews sells The Sound of Music with her effervescent performance, and the wooden, awkward bits around her are, now, almost endearing — a kitschy self-own acknowledging the unreality of the whole operation.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
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Conor’s passionately absorbing, poignantly observed self-refraction from individuality into idiosyncrasy lends his very reality an air of unreality.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
7 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusion. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.
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