delusion

English

Etymology

From Latin delusio.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/, /dɪˈl(j)uːzjən/
• Rhymes: -uːʒən

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Noun

delusion (countable and uncountable, plural delusions)

1. A false belief that is resistant to confrontation with actual facts.
2. The state of being deluded or misled, or process of deluding somebody.

   It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

3. That which is falsely or delusively believed or propagated; false belief; error in belief.
   • 1960, William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany, New York: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, LCCN 81101072, page 835:

     Hess, always a muddled man though not so doltish as Rosenberg, flew on his own to Britain under the delusion that he could arrange a peace settlement.

   • 2007 May 24, Alessandra Stanley, “A Rose-Colored Reality Where Everyone Wins”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     “Project Greenlight,” however, bore down on the soft underbelly of the movie business, focusing on the delusions and colossal blunders of first-time directors, seemingly selected as much for their unlovability as their talent.

4. A fixed, false belief, that will not change, despite evidence to the contrary.

Derived terms

• delusional
• delusionary
• delusionism
• delusionist
• delusion of adequacy
• delusion of doubles
• delusion of grandeur
• Fregoli delusion
• self-delusion

 

Translations

act of deluding; deception; a misleading of the mind

• Arabic: خِدَاع m (ḵidāʕ)
• Belarusian: зман m (zman), падма́н m (padmán)
• Bulgarian: заблу́да (bg) f (zablúda), илю́зия (bg) f (iljúzija)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 騙局／骗局 (zh) (piànjú)

• Danish: indbildning c
• Dutch: inbeelding (nl) c
• Finnish: harhaanjohtaminen
• French: illusion (fr) f, délire (fr) m, idée délirante f
• German: Täuschung (de) f, Irreführung (de) f
• Greek: αυταπάτη (el) f (aftapáti), (psychiatry) ψευδαίσθηση (el) f (psevdaísthisi)
• Hebrew: הטעיה f (hat'ayá)
• Indonesian: bertakhayul, delusi (id), waham (id)
• Italian: illusione (it) f
• Maori: pōhēhētanga, kaihewa
• Ottoman Turkish: وسوسه (vesvese)
• Polish: złudzenie (pl) n, omam (pl) m, ułuda f, złuda f, przywidzenie n
• Portuguese: ilusão (pt) f, delusão (pt) f
• Romanian: amăgire (ro) f, înșelare (ro) f
• Russian: обма́н (ru) m (obmán), введе́ние в заблужде́ние n (vvedénije v zabluždénije)
• Spanish: engaño (es) m, ilusión (es) f
• Turkish: delüzyon (tr)
• Ukrainian: обма́н m (obmán)

state of being deluded or misled

• Arabic: ضَلَالَة f (ḍalāla), وَهْم m (wahm)
• Belarusian: заблуджэ́нне n (zabludžénnje), заблуджэ́ньне n (zabludžénʹnje), ілю́зія f (iljúzija), памы́лка f (pamýlka)
• Bulgarian: заблу́да (bg) f (zablúda), заблужде́ние (bg) n (zabluždénie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幻想 (zh) (huànxiǎng), 謬見／谬见 (zh) (miùjiàn)

• Czech: blud (cs) m, klam (cs) m
• Dutch: waan (nl) c, waanzin (nl) c
• Finnish: harhaluulo (fi)
• German: Wahn (de) m
• Greek: πλάνη (el) f (pláni), αυταπάτη (el) f (aftapáti)
• Hebrew: אשליה (he) f (ashlayá)
• Indonesian: delusi (id)
• Italian: illusione (it) f
• Latin: delusio f
• Maori: pōhēhētanga
• Polish: omamienie n
• Portuguese: ilusão (pt) f, delusão (pt) f
• Russian: заблужде́ние (ru) n (zabluždénije), иллю́зия (ru) f (illjúzija), оши́бка (ru) f (ošíbka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: deluzija (sh) f, zabluda (sh) f

• Spanish: delirio (es) m (psychology)
• Tocharian B: traike
• Ukrainian: ома́на (uk) f (omána), ілю́зія f (iljúzija), по́милка (uk) f (pómylka), поми́лка (uk) f (pomýlka)
• Vietnamese: hoang tưởng (vi)

that which is falsely or delusively believed or propagated; false belief; error in belief

• Arabic: غَرُور m (ḡarūr)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 錯誤信念／错误信念 (cuòwù xìnniàn)

• Czech: blud (cs) m, klam (cs) m, mylná představa, falešná představa, přelud m
• Danish: vrangforestilling c
• Dutch: waanidee (nl) n, waanvoorstelling (nl) c, waandenkbeeld (nl) n, waan (nl) c, hersenschim (nl) c, misvatting (nl) c
• Finnish: harhakuvitelma (fi)
• German: Täuschung (de) f, Wahnvorstellung (de) f, Wahn (de) m
• Greek: πλάνη (el) f (pláni), ψευδαίσθηση (el) (psevdaísthisi)
• Indonesian: paranoid (id), waham (id)
• Irish: seachrán m
• Japanese: 妄想 (ja) (mōsō)
• Latin: delusio f
• Maori: pōhēhētanga
• Ottoman Turkish: وسوسه (vesvese)
• Portuguese: delírio (pt) m, delusão (pt) f
• Spanish: idea delirante f, delirio (es) m, delusión f, fatamorgana f
• Turkish: vehim (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} vanföreställning (sv) c

Further reading

• “delusion”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• insouled, unsoiled