Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An erroneous perception of reality.
- noun An erroneous concept or belief.
- noun The condition of being deceived by a false perception or belief.
- noun Something that is erroneously perceived or construed.
- noun A fine transparent net fabric, used for dresses or trimmings.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun That which illudes or deceives; an unreal vision presented to the bodily or mental eye; deceptive appearance; false show.
- noun Specifically In psychology, a false perception due to the modification of a true perception by the imagination: distinguished from false appearances due to the imperfection of the bodily organs of sense, such as irradiation, and from hallucinations, into which no true perception enters. See
hallucination , 2. - noun The act of deceiving or imposing upon any one; deception; delusion; mockery.
- noun A thin and very transparent kind of tulle.
- noun In the pictorial arts, an imitation of the appearance of nature which is intended to create the impression of reality.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun An unreal image presented to the bodily or mental vision; a deceptive appearance; a false show; mockery; hallucination.
- noun Hence: Anything agreeably fascinating and charming; enchantment; witchery; glamour.
- noun (Physiol.) 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.
- noun A plain, delicate lace, usually of silk, used for veils, scarfs, dresses, etc.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun countable Anything that seems to be something that it is not.
- noun countable A
misapprehension ; a belief in something that is in fact not true. - noun countable A
magician ’s trick. - noun this sense?) (
uncountable ) The fact of being an illusion (in any of the above senses).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an erroneous mental representation
- noun an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers
- noun something many people believe that is false
- noun the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Of course the symptoms are occurring: the term illusion refers to our interpretation of the meaning of the physical symptoms, not the existence of physical symptoms per se.
The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011
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Of course the symptoms are occurring: the term illusion refers to our interpretation of the meaning of the physical symptoms, not the existence of physical symptoms per se.
The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011
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Of course the symptoms are occurring: the term illusion refers to our interpretation of the meaning of the physical symptoms, not the existence of physical symptoms per se.
The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011
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Of course the symptoms are occurring: the term illusion refers to our interpretation of the meaning of the physical symptoms, not the existence of physical symptoms per se.
The Sacred Promise Phd Gary E. Schwartz 2011
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It is not, however, clear that the term illusion is justified; for this supposes a distinction between truth and error-a distinction which has no meaning for the genuine pantheist; all our judgments being the utterance of the One that thinks in us, it is impossible to discriminate the true from the false.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 11: New Mexico-Philip 1840-1916 1913
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Murray, like nearly everyone else, could not solve the riddle posed by Nadal's blend of power, hustle and desire: a crucial word that he translates directly from the Spanish when he speaks English, using the term "illusion."
NYT > Home Page By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY 2011
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In evincing the impossibility of delusion, he makes no sufficient allowance for an intermediate state, which I have before distinguished by the term illusion, and have attempted to illustrate its quality and character by reference to our mental state when dreaming.
Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1803
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Photography flattens sculpture and stills its spatial violence, but Smith found that it also exposed new aspects of what he called the 'illusion of form.'
Photo-Op: Ironman 2011
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I'm saying that you're moronic AWOL argument has been thoroughly blasted out of the water, and your persistance of this illusion is amazing.
Time to impeach? David 2005
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As in painting, so more particularly in sculpture, that imitation of nature which we call illusion, is in no respect its excellence, nor indeed its aim.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 53, No. 328, February, 1843 Various
bilby commented on the word illusion
"Ford," said Arthur, "would you please tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Drink up," said Ford, "you've got three pints to get through."
"Three pints?" said Arthur. "At lunchtime?"
The man next to Ford grinned and nodded happily. Ford ignored him. He said, "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
- Douglas Adams, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy'.
February 8, 2009
myth commented on the word illusion
Illusion is the first of all pleasures. - Oscar Wilde
March 8, 2009
ilrak commented on the word illusion
Michael: So .. this is the magic trick, huh?
Gob: "Illusion," Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money. ... or candy.
April 6, 2009
jmjarmstrong commented on the word illusion
JM proposes that we are able to walk on air, but only as long as our illusion supports us
August 26, 2011
chasdavy commented on the word illusion
The nonexistent "Then"and the nonexistent "Later"are
The nonexistent "Then" and the nonexistent "Later"are illusions / constructs of the mind that are constantly mistaken for the real thing : the incredible "Now"
October 5, 2012
chasdavy commented on the word illusion
The nonexistent "Then" and the nonexistent "Later"are illusions / constructs of the mind that are constantly mistaken for the real thing : the incredible, concrete "Now"
October 5, 2012
yarb commented on the word illusion
No, the other way round! Only the past is real. The present is a sensation, the future a diversion.
October 6, 2012