ILLUSION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does illusion mean? 

• ILLUSION (noun)
  The noun ILLUSION has 4 senses:

1. an erroneous mental representation

2. something many people believe that is false

3. the act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas

4. an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers

  Familiarity information: ILLUSION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ILLUSION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An erroneous mental representation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

illusion; semblance

Hypernyms ("illusion" is a kind of...):

appearance (a mental representation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "illusion"):

apparition; fantasm; phantasm; phantasma; phantom; shadow (something existing in perception only)

irradiation (the apparent enlargement of a bright object when viewed against a dark background)

phantom limb (the illusion that a limb still exists after it has been amputated)

Derivation:

illusional (marked by or producing illusion)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Something many people believe that is false

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

fancy; fantasy; illusion; phantasy

Context example:

they have the illusion that I am very wealthy

Hypernyms ("illusion" is a kind of...):

misconception (an incorrect conception)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "illusion"):

bubble (an impracticable and illusory idea)

ignis fatuus; will-o'-the-wisp (an illusion that misleads)

wishful thinking (the illusion that what you wish for is actually true)

Derivation:

illusional (marked by or producing illusion)

illusory (based on or having the nature of an illusion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

delusion; head game; illusion

Hypernyms ("illusion" is a kind of...):

deceit; deception; dissembling; dissimulation (the act of deceiving)

Derivation:

illusional; illusionary (marked by or producing illusion)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

conjuration; conjuring trick; deception; illusion; legerdemain; magic; magic trick; thaumaturgy; trick

Hypernyms ("illusion" is a kind of...):

performance (the act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "illusion"):

card trick (a trick performed with playing cards)

prestidigitation; sleight of hand (manual dexterity in the execution of tricks)

Derivation:

illusionist (someone who performs magic tricks to amuse an audience)

 Context examples 

I smiled to myself, and in my psychological way, began lazily to inquire into the elements of this illusion, occasionally, even as I did so, dropping back into a comfortable morning doze.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Her mother, sisters, Fanny, all had been conscious of his regard for her at Norland; it was not an illusion of her own vanity.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

An illusion of vision usually affecting spatial relations.

(Optical Illusion, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

It is what I dreamed of—the great and perfect thing—when I was a simple young man, with sweet illusions and clean ideals.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

A sequence of images displayed in succession giving the illusion of continuous movement.

(Movie, NCI Thesaurus)

A usually reversible condition characterized by the acute and sudden development of confusion, illusions, movement changes, inattentiveness, agitation, and hallucinations.

(Delirium, NCI Thesaurus)

The researchers think this optical illusion is responsible for most of what appear to be individual jets.

(Saturn Moon's Activity Could Be 'Curtain Eruptions', NASA)

I tell you again, Mr. Holmes, that you are under some absurd illusion.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Well—the general air, the style, the self-possession, the—the—illusion—you know", laughed Laurie, breaking down and helping himself out of his quandary with the new word.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

His lids lifted lazily as he asked the question, and it seemed that the deeps were opening to me and that I was gazing into his soul. But it was an illusion.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)