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illusion

illusion An illusion is a mistaken mental construction that starts from data that are real or reliable in their own sphere, leading a person to accept something as real when it is not.

An illusion is a mistaken mental construction that starts from data that are real or reliable in their own sphere, leading a person to accept something as real when it is not. The term can also mean the false mental object produced in this way, and more broadly the mind’s acceptance of what is unreal; in this historical usage it is broader than hallucination because it can include errors beyond simple sense perception.

Also see

Sources

Drafting source: Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, 1901. 1901 New York Macmillan original; archive index checked 2026-10-18. “Illusion” (Illusion).
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These citations identify the drafting sources. 2/2 independent reader passes against the pinned source packet. The drafter does not count as a reader. Source institutions do not endorse this dictionary.

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PsychTerms (psychterms.org), CC BY 4.0, version 1. “illusion.” Development preview.

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