delusion
Use Delusion in a sentence
ʒən1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin dēlūsiōn- (stem of dēlūsiō), equivalent to dēlūs(us) (past participle of dēlūdere; see delude) + -iōn- -ion
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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| to promote the growth or development of or encourage; to care for or cherish |
| obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine: |
delusion (dɪˈluːʒən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a mistaken or misleading opinion, idea, belief, etc: he has delusions of grandeur |
| 2. | psychiatry illusion See also hallucination a belief held in the face of evidence to the contrary, that is resistant to all reason |
| 3. | the act of deluding or state of being deluded |
| de'lusional | |
| —adj | |
| de'lusive | |
| —adj | |
| de'lusively | |
| —adv | |
| de'lusiveness | |
| —n | |
| delusory | |
| —adj | |
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delusion
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delusion de·lu·sion (dĭ-l&oomacr;'zhən)
n.
A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness.
de·lu'sion·al adj.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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delusion (dĭ-l 'zhən) Pronunciation Key
A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness, as in schizophrenia. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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delusion definition
A false belief held despite strong evidence against it; self-deception. Delusions are common in some forms of psychosis. Because of his delusions, the literary character Don Quixote attacks a windmill, thinking it is a giant.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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delusion
in psychology, a rigid system of beliefs with which a person is preoccupied and to which the person firmly holds, despite the logical absurdity of the beliefs and a lack of supporting evidence. Delusions are symptomatic of such mental disorders as paranoia, schizophrenia, and major depression and of such physiological conditions as senile psychosis and delirium. They vary in intensity, extent, and coherence and may represent pathological exaggeration of normal tendencies to rationalization, wishful thinking, and the like. Among the most common are delusions of persecution and grandeur; others include delusions of bodily functioning, guilt, love, and control
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