What does illusion mean?

Definitions for illusion
ɪˈlu ʒənil·lu·sion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word illusion.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. illusion, semblancenoun

    an erroneous mental representation

  2. illusion, fantasy, phantasy, fancynoun

    something many people believe that is false

    "they have the illusion that I am very wealthy"

  3. delusion, illusion, head gamenoun

    the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas

  4. magic trick, conjuring trick, trick, magic, legerdemain, conjuration, thaumaturgy, illusion, deceptionnoun

    an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers

Wiktionary

  1. illusionnoun

    Anything that seems to be something that it is not.

  2. illusionnoun

    A misapprehension; a belief in something that is in fact not true.

    Jane has this illusion that John is in love with her.

  3. illusionnoun

    A magician's trick.

  4. illusionnoun

    The fact of being an illusion (in any of the above senses).

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Illusionnoun

    Mockery; false show; counterfeit appearance; errour.

    Etymology: illusio, Latin; illusion, Fr.

    That, distill'd by magick slights,
    Shall raise such artificial sprights,
    As, by the strength of their illusion,
    Shall draw him on to his confusion. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

    There wanted not some about him that would have persuaded him that all was but an illusion. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.

    So oft they fell
    Into the same illusion; not as man,
    Whom they triumph'd, once laps'd. John Milton, Parad. Lost.

    An excuse for uncharitableness, drawn from pretended inability, is of all others the most general and prevailing illusion. Francis Atterbury, Sermons.

    Many are the illusions by which the enemy endeavours to cheat men into security, and defeat their title to salvation. John Rogers, Sermons.

    To dream once more I close my willing eyes;
    Ye soft illusions, dear deceits, arise! Alexander Pope.

    We must use some illusion to render a pastoral delightful; and this consists in exposing the best side only of a shepherd's life, and in concealing its miseries. Alexander Pope.

ChatGPT

  1. illusion

    An illusion is a false or misleading perception, belief, or idea that appears to be different from the reality. It is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory information. Illusions can involve all the senses, but visual illusions are the most well-known and understood.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Illusionnoun

    an unreal image presented to the bodily or mental vision; a deceptive appearance; a false show; mockery; hallucination

  2. Illusionnoun

    hence: Anything agreeably fascinating and charning; enchantment; witchery; glamour

  3. Illusionnoun

    a sensation originated by some external object, but so modified as in any way to lead to an erroneous perception; as when the rolling of a wagon is mistaken for thunder

  4. Illusionnoun

    a plain, delicate lace, usually of silk, used for veils, scarfs, dresses, etc

Wikidata

  1. Illusion

    An illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may occur with more of the human senses than vision, but visual illusions, optical illusions, are the most well known and understood. The emphasis on visual illusions occurs because vision often dominates the other senses. For example, individuals watching a ventriloquist will perceive the voice is coming from the dummy since they are able to see the dummy mouth the words. Some illusions are based on general assumptions the brain makes during perception. These assumptions are made using organizational principles, like Gestalt, an individual's ability of depth perception and motion perception, and perceptual constancy. Other illusions occur because of biological sensory structures within the human body or conditions outside of the body within one’s physical environment. The term illusion refers to a specific form of sensory distortion. Unlike a hallucination, which is a distortion in the absence of a stimulus, an illusion describes a misinterpretation of a true sensation. For example, hearing voices regardless of the environment would be a hallucination, whereas hearing voices in the sound of running water would be an illusion.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Illusion

    il-lū′zhun, n. a playing upon: a mocking: deceptive appearance: false show: error.—n. Illū′sionist, one who is subject to illusions: one who produces illusions, as sleight-of-hand tricks, for entertainment.—adjs. Illū′sive, Illū′sory, deceiving by false appearances: false.—adv. Illū′sively.—n. Illū′siveness. [See Illude.]

Suggested Resources

  1. illusion

    Song lyrics by illusion -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by illusion on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. Illusion

    Illusion vs. Delusion -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Illusion and Delusion.

  3. Illusion

    Allusion vs. Illusion -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Allusion and Illusion.

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'illusion' in Nouns Frequency: #2618

How to pronounce illusion?

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of illusion in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of illusion in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of illusion in a Sentence

  1. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier:

    When the security situation changes - and it has - then we have to adapt our military capabilities. But we cannot at the same time fall prey to the illusion that military strength alone leads to security.

  2. Calvin Miller, The Singer Trilogy:

    Love is substance; Lust, illusion. Only in the surge of passion do the two mingle in confusion.

  3. Deacon Andrei Kuraev:

    There's an attempt by Patriarch Kirill to offer himself to the state and to the Kremlin as a faithful pillar, a faithful ally. There is an illusion in the Kremlin that they can use this ally to promote the correct electoral behavior, i am against this political union.

  4. Detronius Arbiter:

    I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.

  5. H.W. Mann:

    Separation is an illusion, we are all in this together

Popularity rank by frequency of use

illusion#10000#13078#100000

Translations for illusion

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"illusion." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/illusion>.

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