VocabDictionary

hallucination

/həˌluː.sɪˈneɪ.ʃən/advanced Level

English Meaning & Definitions

1.noun

An experience of sensing things that sound, look, smell, feel, or taste real to you, but only exist in your mind, typically caused by a mental disorder, neurological condition, or drugs.

Example Sentences:
  • The patient began experiencing visual hallucinations after taking the new medication.
  • In severe cases of sleep deprivation, people may suffer from auditory hallucinations.
2.noun

In artificial intelligence, a confident response by a language model that does not seem to be justified by its training data or factual reality.

Example Sentences:
  • The AI chatbot's hallucination led it to invent a completely fictional historical event.
  • Researchers are working constantly to reduce hallucinations in large language models.
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English Synonyms & Near Equivalents

English Antonyms & Opposites

Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown

Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “hallucination”.

Thesaurus Entry
Cultural Origin & Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'hallucinatio' (a wandering of the mind, dreaming), from 'hallucinari' (to wander in mind, talk idly or dream), which ultimately stems from the Greek 'alyein' (to be distraught or distraught with anxiety). The modern scientific and psychological sense developed in the 17th century.

Memory Aid & Mnemonic

Think of 'hall-lucid-nation': imagining things in the hallway when you are not fully lucid.

Frequently Asked Questions About “hallucination

1. What is the meaning of “hallucination” in English?

In English, hallucination (noun) is defined as: “An experience of sensing things that sound, look, smell, feel, or taste real to you, but only exist in your mind, typically caused by a mental disorder, neurological condition, or drugs.”.

2. How do you use “hallucination” in a sentence?

The patient began experiencing visual hallucinations after taking the new medication.

3. What are English synonyms of “hallucination”?

Common synonyms include:illusion,delusion,phantom,mirage,vision

4. What is the etymology and word origin of “hallucination”?

Derived from the Latin 'hallucinatio' (a wandering of the mind, dreaming), from 'hallucinari' (to wander in mind, talk idly or dream), which ultimately stems from the Greek 'alyein' (to be distraught or distraught with anxiety). The modern scientific and psychological sense developed in the 17th century.