illusion

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US [ɪˈluː.ʒən] UK /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/ See IPA manual

Freq #5298

Meanings

1

noun
A false idea or belief about something.

He still has the illusion that the team will win the championship.
2

noun
Something that appears to be real but is not.

We saw what looked like a tiger among the trees, but it was an illusion caused by the shadows.
3

noun
A trick that makes you see something that isn't really there, as performed by a magician.

The magician's most famous illusion made a car vanish from the stage.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a false idea or belief... misapprehension misbelief misconception fancy

2 noun · something that appears to... mirage phantom

3 noun · a trick that makes you see... magic trick

Word family

Forms illusions

Derived forms disillusionillusionableillusionalillusionaryillusionedillusionetteillusionismillusionistillusionisticillusionlessillusionlikeillusory

Etymology

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

illusion Old French illūsiō Latin

View etymology graph ->

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# illusion

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** [ɪˈluː.ʒən]
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/
**Frequency rank:** 5298

## Meanings
1. A false idea or belief about something.
2. Something that appears to be real but is not.
3. A trick that makes you see something that isn't really there, as performed by a magician.

## Examples
- He still has the illusion that the team will win the championship.
- We saw what looked like a tiger among the trees, but it was an illusion caused by the shadows.
- The magician's most famous illusion made a car vanish from the stage.

## Derived Forms
- disillusion
- illusionable
- illusional
- illusionary
- illusioned
- illusionette
- illusionism
- illusionist
- illusionistic
- illusionless
- illusionlike
- illusory

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: illusion
- Root: illūsiō

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

## AI Etymology
Illusion comes from Old French illusion, from Latin illūsiō, from illūdere, from in- (“at, upon”) + lūdere (“to play, mock, trick”). Displaced native Old English dwimmer. The historical chain includes illusion (Old French) and illūsiō (Latin). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as disillusion, illusionable, illusional, and illusionary. In present use it covers a false idea or belief about something, something that appears to be real but is not, and a trick that makes you see something that isn't really there, as performed by a magician.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Abstract Ideas

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illusion

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