Illusorie

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Producing a false appearance or impression that misleads the senses or mind ; having no real substance and existing only as an appearance
2. Tending to deceive by creating a misleading picture of reality ; resting on a mistaken perception rather than on anything actually present
3. Deceptive in effect, giving a false view of what is real ; unreal and seeming to exist only in perception or imagination

Etymology: "Illusorie" is an early spelling of "illusory," an adjective meaning deceptive or not actually real. It came into English from Late Latin "illusorius," formed from "illusor," a derivative of "illudere," meaning "to mock" or "to play at," built from "in-" ("at" or "upon") and "ludere" ("to play"). The Latin root thus carries the idea of playing a trick on someone, which is also the core of the English sense. The spelling with the final "-ie" reflects the variant forms common in English before standardization, when writers often wrote endings in ways that differed from modern practice. Today the form is spelled "illusory," and the -ie version is archaic.

Synonyms: illusory, deceptive, delusive, misleading, unreal

Antonyms: real, genuine, actual, true