delusion

[dih-loo-zhuhn] / dɪˈlu ʒən /

NOUN

misconception, misbelief

Synonyms

STRONGEST

deception fantasy hallucination illusion pipe dream

STRONG

apparition blunder casuistry chicanery daydream deceptiveness dream error fallacy fancy figment ghost lapse mirage misapprehension mistake oversight phantasm phantom self-deception shade speciousness spuriousness trickery trip vision

WEAK

eidolon false impression fool's paradise head trip ignis fatuus optical illusion

Antonyms

STRONGEST

fact reality truth

STRONG

accuracy actuality being certainty correction fix honesty right success

WEAK

surety

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It unofficially formed in a Reddit chatroom last June for users who’ve experienced “spiraling” from A.I. delusion themselves or who’ve tried to help friends and family out.

From Slate • Feb. 2, 2026

A U.K. police chief is under fire after admitting a delusion from Microsoft Copilot produced incorrect evidence.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 14, 2026

For heavyweight great Lennox Lewis, however, that confidence edges into "delusion".

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

"I have gotten to where I am today because of delusional optimism. It's delusion until it's not. It's got me to where I am today."

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

And America, too, is a delusion, the grandest one of all.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Vocabulary lists containing delusion

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