DELUSIONS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

delusions

noun

plural of delusion

as in illusions

a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality her idea that her new man is a long lost prince is surely just a delusion

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as in myths

a false idea or belief he appears to suffer from the delusion that he's the best reporter in the business

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of delusions But what happens when a king’s delusions have real consequences? — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026 Partway through the season, Straczynski noticed O’Hare developing symptoms of psychosis, including paranoid delusions. — Jp Mangalindan, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026 The 29-year-old Christian Faith Madison died after walking into traffic, with her family arguing that the OpenAI chatbot had fueled her religious delusions during their extensive interactions, pushing her over the edge by romanticizing death. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 23 July 2026 Symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, extreme depression, insomnia, paranoia and rapid mood swings. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 20 July 2026 On their debut album, the Detroit musician skewers social-climbing scene darlings and tackles personal existential delusions over a frenetic blend of post-punk and electro-pop. — Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026 In one case, the Jupiter family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Google, saying the company’s chatbot, Gemini, contributed to their son’s death by fueling severe delusions and eventually coaching him through taking his own life. — Laurie Mermet, Sun Sentinel, 6 July 2026 His fears were rooted in delusions that also touched on the nation’s fentanyl crisis and the war in Ukraine, according to court testimony. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 6 July 2026 We are encouraged to indulge our delusions about replacement theory and white male superiority and to surrender to our instincts toward incivility and division. — Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delusions

Noun

Published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, 95 people—Millennial and Gen Z men and women, all of whom had a history of using Instagram for an average of eight years—underwent a virtual reality experience called body illusions.

— Nicole Karlis, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
But Zinn’s illusions in the war, challenged already by lefties in the ranks and by seeing his friends killed, were permanently put to rest due to the bombing of Royan.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of illusions

Noun

This is the same thing, only moms are living their I-wish-when-I-was-in-college fantasies through their daughters.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
From Churchill onward, many British leaders clung to fantasies of global power and splendid isolation from Europe, fantasies that culminated in the disaster of Brexit.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of fantasies

Noun

Her final film Sleepwalker, a psychological thriller about a mother who has fightening visions after losing her daughter in a car accident, was released in January.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026
Education is expected to be a central issue in those races, with candidates offering competing visions for improving student outcomes and strengthening public schools.

— Jason Burns, The Conversation, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of visions

Noun

And amidst the momentum of reverie, there’s the line ‘Blink at the light and hope to survive,’ because daydreams in a fascist state can be scary too.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 June 2026
One-touch passing, feinting and ripping hard shots into a tattered net, each is super-charged by vivid daydreams of glory on the international stage.

— Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2026

Definition of daydreams

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delusionary

delusions

delusive

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“Delusions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delusions. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of delusions

noun

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