illusion

UK/ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/US[ɪˈluː.ʒən]

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #2,760 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: illusions

An illusion is something that seems real but is not. An optical illusion, no illusions about it, the illusion of choice.

Knowing an illusion is one does not dispel it — the two lines in the arrow illusion still look different lengths after you measure them, which is what makes illusions such good evidence about how perception works. A delusion is a false belief; an illusion is a false appearance.

Definitions of illusion

1nounillusionSomething that seems real but is not.B2
“The mirrors create the illusion that the small room is much bigger.”

illusion is a false appearance.

Where it comes from

Latin illusio comes from illudere, to mock or play upon — in plus ludere, to play. Ludicrous is a relative.

Latin
illūsiō
Old French
illusion
English, today
illusion

Built from

in- · Latin — at, upon
lūdere · Latin — to play, mock, trick

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

illusion in the wild

Some illusions are based on general assumptions the brain makes during perception.
Illusion
Maya, literally "illusion" or "magic", has multiple meanings in Indian philosophies depending on the context.
Maya (religion)
The technique was used to display a life-size illusion of Kate Moss at the 2006 runway show for the Alexander McQueen collection The Widows of Culloden.
Pepper's ghost
The illusion, created in 2003 by Japanese web designer Nobuyuki Kayahara, involves the apparent direction of motion of the figure.
Spinning dancer

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the lūdere family

illusion

illusion — used about once every 401 pages · #2,760 · point at the bar for the others

← Vocabulary

illusion

UK/ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/US[ɪˈluː.ʒən]

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #2,760 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: illusions

An illusion is something that seems real but is not. An optical illusion, no illusions about it, the illusion of choice.

Definitions of illusion

1nounillusionSomething that seems real but is not.B2
“The mirrors create the illusion that the small room is much bigger.”

illusion is a false appearance.

Where it comes from

Latin illusio comes from illudere, to mock or play upon — in plus ludere, to play. Ludicrous is a relative.

Latin
illūsiō
Old French
illusion
English, today
illusion

Built from

in- · Latin — at, upon
lūdere · Latin — to play, mock, trick

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

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

illusion in the wild

Some illusions are based on general assumptions the brain makes during perception.
Illusion
Maya, literally "illusion" or "magic", has multiple meanings in Indian philosophies depending on the context.
Maya (religion)
The technique was used to display a life-size illusion of Kate Moss at the 2006 runway show for the Alexander McQueen collection The Widows of Culloden.
Pepper's ghost
The illusion, created in 2003 by Japanese web designer Nobuyuki Kayahara, involves the apparent direction of motion of the figure.
Spinning dancer

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the lūdere family

illusion

illusion — used about once every 401 pages · #2,760 · point at the bar for the others