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delusion

delusion

173 6.7
A strong false belief that someone still has even when it is not true
  • noun
  • /dɪˈluːʒən/
: delirio
  • He was living under the delusion that he could win the lottery without buying a ticket.
  • experience delusions
  • suffer from delusions
  • delusions of grandeur

Fight like hell to make that lie, that delusion, the actuality, the truth.

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Examples

  • This same side accuses anyone who disagrees with them of perpetrating a big lie or the big delusion.

  • You see, I was living under the delusion that underneath this self-righteous stud was an honest man.

  • What a sad delusion and what a dangerous one.

  • Some of that was my own delusion, I think, but it worked out.

  • Some kind of paranoid delusion could destroy this country.

    GQ
  • Is he still maintaining the delusion about hearing God?

  • And most people pursue that delusion to the grave.

  • The power of his delusions overwhelmed his freedom of choice.

  • We can't have them believing in some kind of collective delusion.

  • She was having paranoid delusions.

Synonyms

illusion
vsdelusion
287 4.6

A false idea or appearance that makes you think something is true

is a firmly held false belief rather than a mere misleading appearance
misconception
vsdelusion
76 4.2

An idea that is not true because people understand something wrongly

is strongly held despite being factually wrong
fantasy
vsdelusion
73 3.7

A wrong idea that many people believe

is accepted firmly even when shown to be untrue
fallacy
vsdelusion
64 7.2

A wrong belief that comes from bad reasoning

is accepted firmly despite evidence, not only a reasoning error
false belief
vsdelusion
7 5.6

An idea that is not true because of wrong thinking or misunderstanding

is held strongly even when clearly untrue
hallucination
vsdelusion
4 7.2

A false idea that people think is true

is a strongly held false belief rather than only a false perception
misimpression
vsdelusion
2 7.5

A wrong idea someone has about something

is strongly held rather than a temporary misunderstanding
erroneous belief
vsdelusion
1 6.5

A belief based on false information

is held firmly even when evidence shows it false
phantasy
vsdelusion
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A false idea that many people believe

is an individual, strongly held false belief despite contrary proof
misbelief
vsdelusion
1 7.0

An idea that is wrong

is firmly held even against contrary evidence
psychotic belief
vsdelusion
  • Specialized
9.9

A false belief that does not change even when shown facts

is strongly held despite evidence rather than tied to diagnosis

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

A fact that shows how things really are

∞ 1.4

The way things really are, not how we imagine or wish

Compounds

nihilistic delusion
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A false belief that nothing is real, even yourself

somatic delusion
  • Specialized
9.9

A strong false belief that parts of your body are sick or changed even when doctors say they are not

How Realistic

knowledge
∞ 1.0
belief
∞ 1.1
mistake
151 1.0
misconception
76 4.2
delusion
173 6.7
illusion
287 4.6

Surface Forms

delusion singular
delusions plural

Morphology

delusion = delude (transparent) = delude + ion

Standard nominalization of the verb 'delude' with '-ion' yielding 'state or condition of being deluded', so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

Delusion comes from Latin parts de- and ludere, where ludere means 'to play'. So a delusion is like a 'play' or trick on the mind — a strong, false belief that fools you.