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illusiveness

illusiveness

8.6
Hard to find or understand because it seems not real
  • noun
  • /ɪˈluːsɪvnəs/
translation icon : ilusoriedad
  • The illusiveness of certainty results from the observer's nearly hopeless task.

Examples

  • The illusiveness of success can often lead to frustration for many aspiring artists.

  • The game's "illusiveness" derives from the frenzy of imitation and doubling which, as Avellaneda speaks, dominates the dramatic action.

    Academic text (1993)
  • His dreams were filled with the illusiveness of happiness, always just out of reach.

  • The magician's tricks showcased the illusiveness of reality, leaving the audience in awe.

Synonyms

trickery
vsillusiveness
27 4.9

To use dishonest ways to cheat people

is a general quality that also suggests unreal or hard to catch traits
guile
vsillusiveness
11 7.8

Clever but dishonest way of acting that tricks people

is a broader quality that can include cleverness plus unreality
deception
vsillusiveness
6 4.3

A trick that makes something look like real magic

is a quality rather than a single act, and includes elusiveness
phoniness
vsillusiveness
  • Informal
4 7.2

The quality of seeming false and not sincere

covers that falseness plus an element of being hard to understand
disingenuousness
vsillusiveness
3 8.8

A way of hiding the truth by pretending to be less involved

is the wider trait that also causes things to feel unreal or elusive
sneakiness
vsillusiveness
1 6.0

Doing things quietly to trick people without them noticing

is less about secrecy and more about seeming unreal or elusive
inauthenticity
vsillusiveness
1 7.9

The state of not being real or true

is broader, adding an unreal or hard to grasp character
fraudulence
vsillusiveness
1 8.7

Dishonest behaviour that aims to get money or other unfair personal gain

is a general quality that may include that dishonesty and unreality
incomprehensibility
vsillusiveness
1 9.9

A state where something is very hard to understand

is similar but also stresses being deceptive or unreal
inscrutability
vsillusiveness
1 9.9

A quality that you cannot understand or know the reasons for

includes that opacity but also a deceptive, unreal quality
deceptiveness
vsillusiveness
1 7.2

A quality that makes something seem true when it is false

adds an unreal or hard to grasp quality beyond mere falsehood
speciousness
vsillusiveness
  • Formal
1 9.4

The appearance of being true when it is false

is less about plausibility and more about being unreal or elusive
unintelligibility
vsillusiveness
1 9.9

Something that is very hard to understand

adds a false or deceptive feel, not only mere difficulty
slyness
vsillusiveness
1 6.2

A quality of being clever and secretly using tricks to get what you want

is wider, adding a sense of being unreal or hard to grasp
crookedness
vsillusiveness
1 6.9

Dishonest behavior by a person or group

adds a sense of being unreal or hard to grasp beyond dishonesty
illusoriness
vsillusiveness
9.8

A feeling that something seems real when it is not

is broader, also stressing being hard to catch or understand
misleadingness
vsillusiveness
9.0

The quality of making people believe something that is not true

also includes an element of being unreal or difficult to grasp
spuriousness
vsillusiveness
8.8

The state of being not real or true

also emphasizes being hard to catch or understand beyond fakery
unauthenticity
vsillusiveness
9.1

A state of not being real or genuine

extends that lack into being elusive or difficult to pin down
bogusness
vsillusiveness
7.9

The state of being fake and trying to trick people

adds an impression of unreality and difficulty to comprehend
trickiness
vsillusiveness
6.7

Being clever in a dishonest or deceptive way that is hard to guess

is less about clever handling and more about being unreal or elusive
shiftiness
vsillusiveness
8.1

A person's secretive way of acting that makes others not trust them

is broader, implying unreality or difficulty to catch or understand

Antonyms

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

How Elusive

illusiveness
8.6
obscurity
5 7.4
clarity
152 3.0

Surface Forms

illusiveness singular

Morphology

illusiveness = illusive (transparent) = illus + ive + ness

The noun is formed regularly from the adjective 'illusive' with the standard suffix '-ness', so the meaning 'the quality of being illusive' is straightforward.

Etymology

Illusiveness comes from the word illusion, which goes back to the Latin illudere meaning 'to play' or 'to mock'. So, think of something that 'plays tricks' on your eyes or mind — illusiveness is the quality of being deceptive or hard to grasp.