producing, produced by, or based on illusion; deceptive or unreal
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
il•lu•so•ry /ɪˈlusəri, -zə-/USA pronunciation
adj.
il•lu•so•ri•ness, n. [uncountable]See -lud-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- causing or like an illusion; deceptive:illusory hopes of success.
il•lu•so•ri•ness, n. [uncountable]See -lud-.
il•lu•so•ry
(i lo̅o̅′sə rē, -zə-),USA pronunciation adj.
il•lu′so•ri•ly, adv.
il•lu′so•ri•ness, n.
- causing illusion;
deceptive;
misleading. - of the nature of an illusion;
unreal.
- Late Latin illūsōrius, equivalent. to illūd(ere) to mock, ridicule (see illusion) + -tōrius -tory1
- 1590–1600
il•lu′so•ri•ness, n.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged fallacious, specious, false.
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged imaginary; visionary, fancied.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'illusory' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Barmecidal
- Barmecide
- Maya
- airy
- apparition
- chimerical
- cloud-cuckoo-land
- deceitful
- determinism
- effect
- elusive
- essence
- fanciful
- fancy
- fantastic
- fatuous
- fool's paradise
- free will
- ideal
- illusionism
- illusive
- imaginary
- magic
- mirage
- never-never
- papier-mâché
- phantasm
- phantasmal
- phantom
- pie
- product differentiation
- pseudophone
- rainbow
- seem
- shadowy
- trick
- true
- unreal
- unreality
- veridical
- visionary