Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

illusory

/ɪˈlu.sə.ɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.79 in modern English

Syllables: il-lu-so-ry
IPA: /ɪˈlu.sə.ɹi/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.

Example Sentences

"The invalidity of a cognition is the otherwiseness of its object, and is known by a sublating cognition. The illusory cognition of silver knows illusory silver, but does not know its otherwiseness."
"Yet for this new womanosphere, the response is not advancing policies like paid family leave or affordable childcare, but to return to an idealized, illusory past where being a wife and mother was viewed as a woman’s sole purpose."

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French illusorie (modern French illusoire), derived from Latin illūsōrius (“mocking, ironical”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: illūsōrius

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɪˈlu.sə.ɹi/
British English: /ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/

Inflected Forms

more illusory (comparative) most illusory (superlative)

Derived Forms

illusorily illusoriness nonillusory unillusory

Frequently Paired Words

illusion illusionary illusive

Synonyms

illusive

Questions

How do you pronounce illusory?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɪˈlu.sə.ɹi/.
What does illusory mean?: Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.
Where does illusory come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce illusory

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “illusory”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɪˈlu.sə.ɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “illusory”.
Repeat and practice — Say “illusory” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.