Allusion, Illusion, Delusion, Hallucination

 Allusion vs Illusion vs Delusion vs Hallucination

To start simple and break things down, let us remove “Allusion” from above family. Why?

Allusion only rhymes with “Illusion and Delusion”. Therefore, the similarity is only in the ending sounds. However, when it comes to meaning, “Allusion” is NOT a part of the family of words above. And now, let's see the difference:

Allusion:

Indirectly referring to something without clearly mentioning it. Allusion is often followed by “to”. It can also mean hints.

Ø  She made an allusion to her first marriage but said nothing more about it.

Ø  Eliot’s poetry is full of biblical allusions

Synonyms for allusion:

    Hint/s, mention, implication, indication

Illusion:

1-      An idea or concept that is not true

Ø  Social media gives us the illusion of companionship. (The idea/feeling of companionship from social media is not real.

Ø  Being out in the desert with a hot Sun and seeing an oasis of water.

While in reality, all that is seen as desert. (the reason of the false idea is NOT the eye, it's your THINKING and IMAGINATION)

2-      An object or image that is not what it appears to be. (like in art, or the above example "oasis in the desert")

               Ø Some mirrors are set to create illusion.

Synonyms for illusion:

    Conceit, Delusion, daydream, fancy, fantasy, phantasy, unreality, vision

Delusion: 

A fixed misconception of the reality in spite of evidences and proofs of the contrary. Delusion focuses on how someone thinks or believes, NOT on the wrong ideas themselves.

Ø  He still lives under the delusion that he owns this place. (His idea that he still owns this place is an illusion ⇒ same like the oasis in the hot desert)

Let us analyze the example and compare it with “illusion”.

Delusion: How (the way) he thinks. (His wrong thinking is called “delusion”)

Illusion: what he thinks (owning the place is an "illusion")

Examples of Delusion:

                 Ø  A patient thinks, “The FBI is tracking me and they’re stalking my house.” ⇚ delusion

                Ø I'm the smartest person in the world, and I have to be a king. ⇚ delusion

Synonyms for Delusion:

    fantasy, illusion, vision, mirage, false belief 

Hallucination:

    A hallucination is a perception or a state (sensory experience.) related to senses (hearing, seeing, smelling, ) – that is not real. The person experiencing a hallucination may believe that it is real, and everything about the vision, sound, voice, or other sensation seems very real.

Examples of hallucination:

Ø  Hearing ordinary sounds that are not there, like doors closing or footsteps. (Hearing)

Ø  Hearing voices, including those that command a person to do something. (Hearing)

Ø  A sensation of floating or being outside one’s body. (Feeling)

Ø  Smelling an odor for which there is no explanation.  (Smelling)

Ø  Seeing people that do not really exist. (Seeing)

So; the state of hearing or seeing (or smelling, touching) unreal things is called “hallucination”.

Delusion Vs Hallucination:

• Both hallucinations and delusions are disturbances in reality. 
• They are experiences that seem real to the observer but are not real. 
• Delusion is how a person wrongly believe or have an unreal idea (NOT related to senses, related to THINKING and BELIEVING). 
• Hallucination is related to believing that an unreal thing or idea exists through senses.

 

 To recap (summarize):

Illusions involve a misinterpretation/a misunderstanding of a stimulus/external reason. illusion describes the wrong ideas themselves.

Delusions are fixed false beliefs that cannot be altered/changed. Delusion describes the state of the person (the how). There're different types of delusions but this is not our main topic.

Hallucinations have no external stimulus/triggers/reasons and can be auditory (ears), visual (eyes), olfactory (nose), gustatory (tongue), or tactile (skin). Hallucinations are connected with senses.

 

 

Citation:

"Illusion vs. Delusion." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 10 Feb. 2021. <https://www.grammar.com/illusion_vs._delusion>.
What’s the Difference Between a Delusion and a Hallucination? (2021). Retrieved from https://www.brightquest.com/delusional-disorder/whats-the-difference-between-a-delusion-and-a-hallucination/