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Illusory

Based on illusion; not real or true; deceptive or misleading in appearance or impression.

adjective

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Imagine This

Imagine a shimmering advertisement for a get-rich-quick scheme. At first it seems convincing, but as you investigate, you realize the promised riches are merely an illusory lure with no real substance.

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Sounds Like

ih-LOO-suh-ree

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Looks Like

Looks like illusion; contains the root 'illus-' related to illusion and ends with -ory (as in 'story' of something that may not be real).

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Remember This

Illusory is closely tied to illusion and deception; use it for appearances or promises that mislead yet seem plausible at first glance.

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Other Forms

illusorinessnoun

illusorilyadverb

illusiveadjective

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Connect With

illusion, deception, delusion, deceptive, imaginary

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Note

Do not use illusory for things that are actually real; use real, genuine, or authentic instead. Distinguish illusory (deceptive appearance) from elusive (hard to grasp or achieve).

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Study Deeper

Examples

The salesman’s claims about the miracle cure were illusory and were debunked by independent tests.
The mirage on the horizon looked appealing but was illusory—an optical illusion in the desert.

Synonyms

delusivedeceptiveimaginaryphantomspecious

Antonyms

realgenuineauthentic

Etymology

From Latin illusorius 'deceptive', from illudere 'to mock, deceive' (ill- 'to mock' + ludere 'to play'). The form entered English via French illusoire / Italian illusorio, leading to illusory in English.

Mnemonic

Illusory = illusion-ary. Think: something that looks real but is just an illusion; it belongs to an illusion-ary realm.