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DELUSION
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of deluding; deception by creating illusory ideas
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("delusion" is a kind of...):
deceit; deception; dissembling; dissimulation (the act of deceiving)
Derivation:
delude (be false to; be dishonest with)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea
Example:
his dreams of vast wealth are a hallucination
Synonyms:
delusion; hallucination
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("delusion" is a kind of...):
misconception (an incorrect conception)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "delusion"):
disorientation; freak out (a wild delusion (especially one induced by a hallucinogenic drug))
Derivation:
delude (be false to; be dishonest with)
delusional (suffering from or characterized by delusions)
Sense 3
Meaning:
(psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary
Synonyms:
delusion; psychotic belief
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("delusion" is a kind of...):
mental condition; mental state; psychological condition; psychological state ((psychology) a mental condition in which the qualities of a state are relatively constant even though the state itself may be dynamic)
Domain category:
psychological science; psychology (the science of mental life)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "delusion"):
delusions of grandeur (a delusion (common in paranoia) that you are much greater and more powerful and influential than you really are)
delusions of persecution (a delusion (common in paranoia) that others are out to get you and frustrate and embarrass you or inflict suffering on you; a complicated conspiracy is frequently imagined)
hallucination (illusory perception; a common symptom of severe mental disorder)
nihilism; nihilistic delusion (the delusion that things (or everything, including the self) do not exist; a sense that everything is unreal)
somatic delusion (a delusion concerning the body image or parts of the body)
zoanthropy (the delusion that you have assumed the form of an animal)
Derivation:
delude (be false to; be dishonest with)
delusional (suffering from or characterized by delusions)
Context examples:
It affects about 1 in 100 people, causing hallucinations, delusions, and other mental problems.
(Over 100 Genetic Sites Tied to Schizophrenia, NIH)
A rare neuropsychiatric disorder whose primary feature is the delusion that relatives or close acquaintances are not the persons that they are known to be.
(Capgras Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Severity of the delusions.
(NPI - Delusions Severity, NCI Thesaurus)
I asked was it a mere nervous impression—a delusion?
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Psychotic behavior accompanied simultaneously by persecutory or grandiose delusions (paranoia) and hallucinations (schizophrenia); delusional jealousy may be present.
(Paranoid Type Schizophrenia, NIH CRISP Thesaurus)
Pimozide selectively inhibits type 2 dopaminergic receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), thereby decreasing dopamine neurotransmission and reducing the occurrence of motor and vocal tics and delusions of parasitosis.
(Pimozide, NCI Thesaurus)
This leads to reduction in psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions.
(Perphenazine, NCI Thesaurus)
A chronic form of schizophrenia characterized primarily by the presence of persecutory or grandiose delusions, often associated with hallucination.
(Paranoid Type Schizophrenia, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
When Laurie came home, dead tired but quite composed, his grandfather met him as if he knew nothing, and kept up the delusion very successfully for an hour or two.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
A paranoid person may have delusions that people are trying to harm him or her.
(Paranoia, NCI Dictionary)
