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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Delusion \De*lu"sion\n. [L. delusio, fr. deludere. See
{Delude}.]
1. The act of deluding; deception; a misleading of the mind.
--Pope.
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2. The state of being deluded or misled.
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3. That which is falsely or delusively believed or
propagated; false belief; error in belief.
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And fondly mourned the dear delusion gone. --Prior.

Syn: {Delusion}, {Illusion}.

Usage: These words both imply some deception practiced upon
the mind. Delusion is deception from want of
knowledge; illusion is deception from morbid
imagination. An illusion is a false show, a mere cheat
on the fancy or senses. It is, in other words, some
idea or image presented to the bodily or mental vision
which does not exist in reality. A delusion is a false
judgment, usually affecting the real concerns of life.
Or, in other words, it is an erroneous view of
something which exists indeed, but has by no means the
qualities or attributes ascribed to it. Thus we speak
of the illusions of fancy, the illusions of hope,
illusive prospects, illusive appearances, etc. In like
manner, we speak of the delusions of stockjobbing, the
delusions of honorable men, delusive appearances in
trade, of being deluded by a seeming excellence. "A
fanatic, either religious or political, is the subject
of strong delusions; while the term illusion is
applied solely to the visions of an uncontrolled
imagination, the chimerical ideas of one blinded by
hope, passion, or credulity, or lastly, to spectral
and other ocular deceptions, to which the word
delusion is never applied." --Whately.
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