Hallucinatory: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when referring to experiences or perceptions similar to seeing or hearing things that are not real, often due to mental illness or drug use. Indicates distorted sense of reality.

• The patient described hallucinatory visions of colors and shapes.
• After taking the medication, he experienced a hallucinatory state.

Used to describe a person or behavior characterized by holding false beliefs, typically as part of a mental disorder. It often has a negative connotation.

• She was delusional, believing she was famous when no one knew who she was.
• His delusional thoughts led him to make irrational decisions.

Used when something appears to be true or real but is actually false or deceptive. Often used in abstract contexts such as perceptions, feelings, or beliefs.

• The security of the job was illusory, as the company was about to go bankrupt.
• His sense of control was entirely illusory.

Used to describe something that is dream-like, surreal, or like a rapidly changing series of images, often with a fantastical or strange quality.

• The movie's phantasmagoric scenes left the audience in awe.
• Her dreams were filled with phantasmagoric landscapes and bizarre creatures.

Typically used in medical or psychological contexts to describe visions or experiences that feel real but are created by the mind.

• She experienced hallucinatory episodes due to the high fever
• The artist's paintings evoke a hallucinatory world full of bizarre creatures

Applied to situations or scenes that are strange and beyond what one would expect in reality; often used in artistic and literary contexts.

• Walking through the empty city at night felt surreal
• The surreal images in the film caused viewers to question their sense of reality

Used to describe something that is imaginative and magical, often found in fantasy literature or film.

• The movie's plot is filled with fantastical creatures and magical kingdoms
• His storytelling ability makes even the most mundane scenarios seem fantastical

Best suited for describing something that resembles the experiences or visuals in a dream; often used in poetic or artistic descriptions.

• The meadow had a dreamlike quality with its vibrant flowers and soft sunlight
• Her voice was so soothing, it felt almost dreamlike