| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,507,491,256 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
illusion |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.12 sec. |
|
illusion 1. Psychol a perception that is not true to reality, having been altered subjectively in some way in the mind of the perceiver 2. a very fine gauze or tulle used for trimmings, veils, etc. Illusion See also Appearances, Deceiving. Barmecide feast imaginary feast served t0 beggar by prince. [Arab. Lit.: Arabian Nights, “The Barmecide’s Feast”] supposedly invisible to unworthy people; in reality, nonexistent. [Dan. Lit.: Andersen’s Fairy Tales] esp. in the Straits of Messina: named for Morgan le Fay. [Ital. Folklore: Espy, 14] as an imaginary compensation for their childlessness, pretend they have a son, who would now be twenty-one. [Am. Drama: Edward Albee Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in On Stage, 447] drama of St. Louis family escaping reality through illusion (1945). [Am. Lit.: The Glass Menagerie, Magill III, 418–420] Mrs. Forrester’s affairs destroyed his image of her. [Am. Lit.: A Lost Lady] English Don Quixote; opponent of repressive laws. [Br. Lit.: Hudibras, Espy, 204] saw philanderer Brad Criley as true lover. [Am. Lit.: Cass Timberlane] something illusory, such as an imaginary tree and pond in the midst of a desert. [Pop. Usage: Misc.] imagines self in brilliant and heroic roles. [Am. Lit.: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” in Cartwell, 606–610] attacks windmills thinking them giants. [Span. Lit.: Don Quixote] imaginative dog. [Comics: “Peanuts” in Horn, 542–543]
place appearing in Coleridge’s dream; where Kubla Khan “did/A stately pleasure-dome decree.” [Br. Lit.: “Kubla Khan” in Payton, 744] How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in periodicals archive | |
|---|---|---|
But like all magic tricks there's an illusional quality to it. Trying to avoid this terror and rage, he submits to authority, or seeks an illusional superiority and sadistic power over less powerful people, or tries to overcome his feeling of insignificance by destroying others and making the outsi de world less threatening to him, or he tries to become an automaton identical with millions of others. Within the work of these theologians one ever finds the traces of the Black aesthetic which pushes for a dwarfed understanding of Black life and a sacrifice of individuality for the sake of an illusional unified Black "faith. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|