Allusion and illusion may share some portion of their ancestry (both words come in part from the Latin word ludere, meaning “to play”), and sound quite similar, but they are distinct words with very different meanings. An allusion is an indirect reference, whereas an illusion is something that is unreal or incorrect. Each of the nouns has a related verb form: allude “to refer indirectly to,” and illude (not a very common word), which may mean “to delude or deceive” or “to subject to an illusion.”
delusion implies an inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real, often as the result of a disordered state of mind.
delusions of persecution
illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.
an illusion of safety
hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.
suffered from terrifying hallucinations
mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.
claimed a balanced budget is a mirage
Examples of illusion in a Sentence
The video game is designed to give the illusion that you are in control of an airplane.
They used paint to create the illusion of metal.
She says that all progress is just an illusion.
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This city will never be the same, insofar as our sense of safety, our illusions of permanence and so on, are gone.—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025 Mat previously impressed judges on America’s Got Talent in 2014 with his magic, illusions and card tricks.—Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 20 Apr. 2025 The Prestige is a thrilling and effective sleight of hand, reveling in its use of identical twins as a last-second shock: a dirty little secret best left in the dark, wielded by these brothers who live in the shadows to pull off the ultimate illusion.—Barry Levitt, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025 Martinez suggests that tall hats can create the illusion of height for petite figures, while wide brims generally complement taller individuals.—Pooja Shah, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for illusion
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin illusion-, illusio, from Latin, action of mocking, from illudere to mock at, from in- + ludere to play, mock — more at ludicrous
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