Agency Dictionary
Delusion
nounPronunciation: /dɪˈluː.ʒən/
In Portuguese: Ilusão
Psychology & MindWhat does “Delusion” mean?
A false belief or opinion maintained despite contrary factual evidence or sound logical reasoning.
Etymology
From Latin delusio, "a deceiving", from deludere, "to mock, to deceive", made of de-, here "to someone's harm", and ludere, "to play". The word has been in English since the late Middle Ages, first for the act of deceiving and then for the false belief that results. Psychiatry gave it a strict sense: a fixed belief held against clear evidence. Illusion, allude and ludicrous go back to the same Latin verb.
Usage note
In clinical use a delusion is a symptom; in everyday use it is any stubborn false belief, as in delusions of grandeur.
Synonyms
- false belief
- misconception
- self-deception
- fantasy
- illusion
- fallacy
Often confused with
- illusion
- An illusion is a false impression, often of the senses, that a person can recognise as false; a delusion is a false belief that the person goes on holding as true.
Word family
- delude
- delusional
- delusive
- delusory
Rhymes with
- confusion
- conclusion
- fusion
- intrusion
- exclusion
- transfusion
- seclusion
- profusion
Usage examples
“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
Words of the same theme
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- Transcendencenoun
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