delusion
/dɪˈluːʒ(ə)n
/noun
1An idiosyncratic belief or impression maintained despite being contradicted by reality or rational argument, typically as a symptom of mental disorder: the delusion of being watched...
- The rise of psychoanalysis did much to validate the contents of mental symptoms, including delusions.
- In the paranoid form of this disorder, they develop delusions of persecution or personal grandeur.
- LSD can induce a psychotic state with paranoid delusions that can last for months.
Synonyms
misapprehension, mistaken impression, false impression, mistaken belief, misconception, misunderstanding, mistake, error, misinterpretation, misconstruction, misbelief;
fallacy, illusion, figment of the imagination, fantasy, chimera;
fool's paradise, self-deception
1.1 [mass noun] The action of deluding or the state of being deluded: what a capacity television has for delusion...
- The rest of us play along, but no one is fooled by this necessary delusion.
- In short, the evidence points more towards hoaxing and delusion than real discovery.
- What is deceit or delusion, and what is genuine in this movement?
Synonyms
deception, misleading, deluding, fooling, tricking, trickery, duping
Phrases
delusions of grandeur
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'act of deluding or of being deluded'): from late Latin delusio(n-), from the verb deludere (see delude).