Synonyms for

Hallucinations

Verb / hʌˌlu:sʌˈneɪʃʌnz / Another word for hallucinations — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

Hallucinations are experiences that seem real but are created by your mind. They can be caused by drugs or mental illness.

Synonyms & similar words

delusion hallucination delusions illusions phantasmagoria visions fancies daydreams figments dreams imaginations fantasies mirages apparitions specters ghosts shadows fantasms chimeras enchantments bewitchments trances

Synonyms by register

Formal

delusions phantasms illusions visions

Informal

tripping seeing things head trips mind games

Literary

phantasms specters wraiths visions

Antonyms

reality sobriety lucidity clarity truth realism

Common collocations

  • auditory hallucinations
  • visual hallucinations
  • paranoid hallucinations
  • tactile hallucinations
  • olfactory hallucinations
  • hallucinations of grandeur
  • drug-induced hallucinations

Word family

noun hallucination
verb hallucinate
adjective hallucinatory

Usage note

Hallucinations are perceptions in the absence of external stimuli, often associated with mental health conditions or substance use. It is important to distinguish them from delusions, which are false beliefs.

Example sentences

  1. The man with schizophrenia saw hallucinations of people who weren't there.
  2. The drug caused the girl to have hallucinations of giant purple elephants.
  3. The artist's paintings were inspired by his hallucinations.
  4. The woman's medication caused her to have hallucinations of her deceased husband.
  5. The boy's fever caused him to have hallucinations of talking animals.

Quotes

  • "Hallucinations are bad enough. But after awhile you learn to cope with things like seeing your dead grandmother crawling up your leg with a knife in her teeth. Most acid fanciers can handle this sort of thing. But nobody can handle that other trip-the possibility that any freak with $1.98 can walk into Circus Circus and suddenly appear in the sky over downtown Las Vegas twelve times the size of God, howling anything that comes into his head. No, this is not a good town for psychedelic drugs. Reality itself is too twisted." - Hunter S. Thompson
  • "Hallucinations are not dreams, dreams are not hallucinations, and no amount of sophistry or semantic word games will change that." - Oliver Sacks
  • "Hallucinations are a reality alternative." - Alan Moore

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