delusion
delusion Lexical Profile
delusion Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A persistent false belief or impression firmly maintained despite being contradicted by reality or rational argument.
"He labored under the delusion that the company would succeed without any financial planning."
In psychiatry, a fixed, idiosyncratic false belief that is resistant to reason or factual disproof and is not shared by others of the same cultural background, typically occurring as a symptom of a mental disorder.
"The patient exhibited delusions of persecution, remaining convinced that neighbors were monitoring his thoughts."
The action of deceiving or misleading someone, or the state of being deceived.
"Their campaign relied on the deliberate delusion of the public regarding the environmental costs of the project."
Word Nuance & Usage
Often confused with 'illusion' and 'hallucination': a 'delusion' is a false intellectual belief held despite contrary evidence, an 'illusion' is a misinterpretation of a real external sensory stimulus, and a 'hallucination' is a sensory perception experienced in the complete absence of an external stimulus.
• Rhymes for delusion
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Late Latin delusio ('a deceiving'), derived from the verb deludere ('to play false, mock, or deceive'), from de- ('down, to the detriment of') and ludere ('to play').