a false idea or belief.

noun: illusion; plural noun: illusions

"he had no illusions about the trouble she was in"

synonyms: delusion, misapprehension, misconception, deception, false impression, mistaken impression; More

fantasy, dream, chimera, fool's paradise, self-deception, castles in the air, castles in Spain;

fallacy, error, misjudgement, fancy

"I was under no illusion about the difficulty of my job"

synonyms: mirage, hallucination, apparition, phantasm, phantom, vision, spectre, fantasy, figment of the imagination, will-o'-the-wisp, trick of the light; ignis fatuus

"the magical illusion is created using mirrors, lights, and paint"

a deceptive appearance or impression.

"the illusion of family togetherness"

synonyms: appearance, impression, imitation, semblance, pretence, sham; More

false appearance, deceptive appearance, deception, misperception;

raresimulacrum

"the lighting helps to increase the illusion of depth"

antonyms: reality

Illusion

an instance of a wrong or misinterpreted perception of a sensory experience.

"stripes embellish the surface to create the illusion of various wood-grain textures"