hallucination

[ huh-loo-suh-ney-shuhn ]

noun

1. a sensory experience of something that does not exist outside the mind, caused by various physical and mental disorders, or by reaction to certain toxic substances, and usually manifested as visual or auditory images.

   Synonyms: aberration, phantasm

2. the sensation caused by a hallucinatory condition, or the object or scene visualized.
3. a false notion, belief, or impression; illusion; delusion.
4. Computers, Digital Technology. (in the field of machine learning) false information generated by a machine learning program contrary to the intent of the user and presented as if it were true and factual.

hallucination

/ həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. the alleged perception of an object when no object is present, occurring under hypnosis, in some mental disorders, etc

hallucination

1. A false perception that appears to be real, as when, for example, a man dying of thirst in a desert thinks that he sees a lake. ( See also delusion .)

Derived Forms

• halˌluciˈnational, adjective

Other Words From

• hal·lu·ci·na·tion·al hal·lu·ci·na·tive [h, uh, -, loo, -s, uh, -ney-tiv, -n, uh, -tiv], adjective
• non·hal·lu·ci·na·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hallucination¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin hallūcinātiōn-, stem of hallūcinātiō, variant of (h)ālūcinātiō, “a wandering of the mind”; hallucinate + -ion

Synonym Study

See illusion.

Example Sentences

Ever since she burst into Agatha’s murder mystery hallucination, it’s been teased that there was more to Rio than meets the eye.

From Los Angeles Times

Niall Cunningham ministers impishly to the president, preparing him for the next phase of his hallucination.

From Los Angeles Times

With the psychological deftness of a cult leader, Trump is able to infiltrate the shadowed corners of America’s consciousness, casting a sinister silhouette that bends reality into a fevered hallucination of chaos and bloodlust.

From Salon

The doctor must also monitor the patient for two hours after the dose has been taken for potential side effects, which include hallucination, feeling disconnected from reality and increased blood pressure.

From BBC

“I was living in an occluded hallucination,” she says.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• illusion
• phantom