illusion - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Old French illusion, from Latin illūsiō, from illūdere, from in- (“at, upon”) + lūdere (“to play, mock, trick”). Displaced native Old English dwimmer.

illusion (countable and uncountable, plural illusions)

  1. (psychology, countable) A distortion of sensory perception where real stimuli lead to a false or misleading impression of reality.
    We saw what looked like a tiger among the trees, but it was an illusion caused by the shadows of the branches.
    Using artificial additives, scientists can create the illusion of fruit flavours in food.
  2. (countable) A misapprehension; a belief in something that is in fact not true.
    • 1967, Four Tops, “Reach Out I'll Be There”, in Reach Out:
      Now if you feel that you can't go on / Because all of your hope is gone / And your life is filled with much confusion / Until happiness is just an illusion
      Jane has this illusion that John is in love with her.
  3. (countable) A magician’s trick.
  4. (uncountable) The state of being deceived or misled.

anything that seems to be something that it is not

belief in something that is in fact not true

magician's trick

From French illusion, from Latin illūsio.

illusion c (singular definite illusionen, plural indefinite illusioner)

  1. illusion

Borrowed from Latin illusiōnem.

illusion f (plural illusions)

  1. illusion

illusion c

  1. an illusion

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